Bless The Bills!

BILLS!

We’ve all got them but most of us hate them. But what if we decided to take a different perspective to our bills?

Have you ever considered that your bills are actually a blessing? Think for a moment about what a bill is an indication of…a product, credit, or service extended to you in exchange for your payment. With this in mind, a bill is a reflection of you receiving something.

Think about what it’d be like if you had no bills. Your life is free of any payment for any products or services. You live without the perceived headache of mailing checks or pointing and clicking online to pay your bills. But along with that leisurely convenience, you don’t have lights, credit, a car, a home, water, internet, or cable. Suddenly, the bills don’t seem so bad, right?

Our bills are a reflection of our blessings. This week, I encourage you to begin to see your bills as an opportunity for you keep money circulating in our economy. After all, money is energetic and needs to flow. Contrary to popular belief, hoarding money selfishly does not lead to wealth – it leads to a stoppage of the flow of resources necessary for ourselves, our family, and our communities to thrive.


Each time you assume a new responsibility, focus on what you’re receiving. Remember that when you spend money, you have the power and the choice to make a wise investment. If you consistently regret spending money, it may be time to reevaluate how and why you’re spending. Remember that money gives you the ability to choose how you express the abundance that already exists in your life. Consider your bills an extension of that expression.

11 Tips For Achieving Prosperity in 2010

1. Decide to be prosperous.
We already know that in order to achieve anything, we must first make a decision to do it. We must then believe that that achievement is possible for us. This is also true of prosperity and abundance. We must DECIDE that we will indeed be successful and prosperous. In committing to being prosperous, we can move on to do the things that will enable us to be prosperous and then have prosperity.

2. Develop a positive mindset
When you think of money or your financial situation, what comes to mind? How do you feel? We all know that we attract what we think about and what we focus on. Therefore, our focus needs to be on the things we want to invite into our lives instead of things we are seeking to avoid. Practice thinking positive thoughts about your financial situation and your life. Doing so will enable you to see solutions and opportunities more clearly.

3. Start talking about money!

How many of us grew up avoiding the topic of money? Did our parents and other adults speak openly and honestly about money or was it hush hush? In order to get a fir grasp on where we are financially, we must be willing to be honest with ourselves and our financial managers by being willing to open up a bit about our financial situation.

You never know where your blessing may come from so even though it's not necessary to wear your salary on your sleeve, it is wise to discuss financial matters with a spouse, mentor, or financial advisor.

4. Use strong, affirming language when you talk about money.

Your tongue and your words are extremely powerful! Do not take this for granted by speaking negativity and lack into your life. If necessary, post affirmations around your home that keep you focused on being, doing, and having more and then read them aloud as necessary. Get in the habit of using positive language as it relates to your finance. Putting abundance out into the atmosphere will result in the manifestation of the same.

5. Be open to opportunities.

Turn your opportunity radar on and up! When you become conscious of your own abundance, you also increase your sensitivity to new opportunities to create abundance in your life. Prosperity often lies dormant around us, but we do not see the opportunity because our paradigms are not programmed to recognize them. To relate an example, what was once just baking soda in your cupboard may now be a teeth whitener, clarifying hair treatment, and facial scrub. If you were unaware of the many benefits of baking soda, you may have left it sitting there unused. However, once you are in tune with the possibilities, you can find new uses for an old product. This principle also applies to abundance and prosperity. Look around for new ways to create abundance from old opportunities!

6. Take action!

What are you waiting for? With the holidays upon us, many people will begin putting things off until the New Year. Resist this temptation. There is no time like the present to get started achieving your goals and creating prosperity. Begin today, even if you only make a list of the different things you would like to do going forward.

7. Know exactly what you spend each month.
Oftentimes, we spend the money until we run out without thinking about what we're spending it on or why we're spending it. A pack of gum here, a bottle of conditioner there can add up quickly. Tracking your spending for 30-60 days can really help you get a grip on what you're spending money on and what adjustments can be made.

8. Know exactly what you earn each month.
Many ladies on this board have side hustles and multiple streams of income. There are also artists and creative types. Generally, this kind of thing results in a fluctuating income. It is important to have an understanding of our "fixed" income and "variable" income in order to budget properly and assess areas that need special attention. We may discover that we are simply not earning enough to cover all of our expenses or we may see that while we are earning plenty of money, we are misusing it.

9. Calculate the difference.
Know whether there is a surplus or deficit in your income. Do you need more money to cover your essentials or do you need to cut back on frivolous spending? Knowing the difference between what you earn and what you spend can go a long way towards achieving prosperity.

10. Track your net worth.
Add up all of your assets then subtract from that number all of your liabilities (debt, loans, etc). This number is your net worth. It is completely irrelevant what this number is...the important thing is that you know what it is so you know how to go about increasing it. This number does not in any way define you...it's simply a tool, like a credit score, that can help you develop yourself financially.

11. Focus on being rich, not looking rich.
Ask yourself how much you are spending on things you don't really need. Think about the clothes you have and are not wearing. Consider the money you're spending on lattes, nail polish, and entertainment. Are there ways to cut back? This doesn't mean you can never live well and enjoy the things you have. It means that by avoiding being wasteful, you can increase your ability to establish and maintain wealth.

The New Formula For Success

In reflection of an amazing year and in excited anticipation of a new year, I'll be sharing some of my observations, reflections, and strategies.

One of my new mantras is

YOUR SELF WORTH + YOUR NETWORK = YOUR NET WORTH

While one's net worth may appear to be just a number, money is a reflection of various elements of our lives. How much do you value yourself? How much are you willing to invest in yourself to create lasting returns? How much are you willing to form genuine connections with others and then leverage those connections?

In coaching people throughout this year, I've realized how many people are truly standing in acres of diamonds. They have a plethora of resources available to them and yet they continue to drudge on through life as they have to be defined by their circumstances.

Remember that you assign meaning to your circumstances; they don't assign meaning to you! You decide how you will respond to a situation and what its meaning in your life will be. To claim this power and use it is a demonstration of your creative strength and divinity.

Later. :-)

Servanthood = Poverty?

So, this is something I've wrestled with personally and have only recently come to terms with...say in the past year or so.

Why do people insist on people/companies/organizations in service being broke or breaking even?

I know the answer to this question, but it perplexes and slightly annoys me. I mean, my thinking is this - as a person who is doing exceptional work in the world, serving people, changing lives, etc, , I deserve to be very handsomely compensated for my work. After all, I am creating value and adding to the lives of others.

I've seen this "Why do they make so much?" mentality a LOT with clergy, nonprofits, etc. Nonprofit shouldn't mean poor and struggling!!! But in this country, it does. People seem to associate corporations with greed while associating nonprofits with just scraping by. Why can't those who are doing meaningful work be paid well?

The thing about it is that there are a lot of people who ARE doing great work and are being paid well, but that's often because they keep their earnings under wrap.

I run a company that teaches teen girls how to successfully transition to womanhood...people assume we're a nonprofit, but we're not. The work we do SERVES young women and transforms lives - that's important! And it's economically viable.

I believe that God's children should live abundantly...after all, isn't that why Jesus came? Why, then, do we insist on pastors and other people barely squeezing by and even become resentful and indignant if they make 6 figures or better? They deserve to be WEALTHY! They deserve to have overflow!

I think part of the issue is this fear of not having enough...people almost subconsciously feeling that when the pastor/socially conscious entrepreneur/nonprofit founder has more, everyone else has to have less. But the reality is that the same way those people create value and are in turn compensated, others can be too.

I also think there's some strange idea that once the accumulation of money pass a certain point, it becomes evil. Money is amoral...it's neither good nor bad. Money is an energetic form of expression...if you are a generous and kind person, having more money gives you more opportunities to express that. If you're a selfish, arrogant jerk, then money only places the magnifying glass over that.

Financial abundance is not a bad thing...and there's nothing wrong with people who are servant leaders living well. If people feel guilty about another person's value creation, it may be time to evaluate whether they are truly living their passions and doing so at the highest level so as to create their own abundance. While those who are in the middle can be too self-righteous to give to the poor yet too noble to have as much money as the wealthy, I've never seen the wealthy criticizing another wealthy's wealth!

In short, you can't help the poor if you're one of them! Money provides more opportunities to express yourself and insisting that people in servant leadership positions avoid abundance is a reflection of one's own attitude towards money and abundance.

Just my opinion...for today. :-)