Archive for the ‘Musings’ Category

People often tell me why they aren’t able to make “enough” money. The most common include:

• I have a low self-image
• My needs weren’t met as a child
• What I did was never enough for my father
• I’m not very good with money (or numbers)
• I don’t know enough about marketing
• I feel pushy if I’m trying to sell someone my products or service
• Actually, the list could go on and on.

Here’s a fact: every one of the reasons given is an excuse for not moving forward. And everything listed above can be altered with conscious intention and effort — effort being the operative word.

There’s no reason why you can’t:

• Develop a positive self-image and accept your personal power
• Let go of the story of your past and meet your own needs now that you are adult
• Stop waiting for others to validate your talents and abilities
• Learn how to manage money. (It’s not rocket science.)
• Study sales and marketing techniques that can help you build a successful business

What it takes to move forward financially — or in any other area of your life — is a decision. . .a deep-down decision to do whatever it takes to learn what you have to learn and do what the marketplace requires in order to succeed in a capitalistic world.

If you are having trouble or dealing with a lot of fear because of the current economic environment, be sure to listen the your self-talk and see if you have excuses for not changing how you are living your life.

The current environment does require that most people alter their goals and behaviors and develop new skills in order to thrive financially. Although you may feel like a victim of circumstances, dwelling on why you are where you are is not going to change or improve anything. There is opportunity in every situation if you look for it.

W. Mitchell is an inspiring speaker who was severely burned in a motorcycle accident. He lost his fingers, has endured the pain and suffering of deep burns, and is confined to a wheelchair. His positive message inspires thousands: It’s not what happens to you, but what you do with it. (Watch this video of W. Mitchell)

People who join my Peace of Mind & Prosperity program and make real progress are those who have made the decision to give up excuses, including the excuse that there just isn’t enough time to learn new skills and techniques.

What’s your excuse?

(Here’s another good video that makes the point.)

NEW AUDIO: End Underearning & Debting

Now you can download the End Underearning & Debting teleclass that was recorded in May along with a follow up call we did a month later. You’ll also receive a worksheet and additional materials, all designed to help you become solvent and develop a healthy cash flow. It’s offered at a special price for a limited time. Read about the offer here.

Not that long ago it seemed rational to have material wealth as a measure of prosperity. People who promoted  methods for manifesting prosperity, such as the Law of Attraction,  used images of material wealth as the goal. The ultimate was a large home filled with the latest gadgets touted as necessary for one’s comfort.

Lots of people bought into this dream, often making purchases far beyond their financial means. The economy seemed to flourish as consumers, on whom our economy depends, acted as if they were rich when they weren’t.

When the economy tanked, people were left with lots of stuff coupled with burdensome debt. Many lost their jobs and had no cushion to fall back on.

Now, there is an effort to pull us out of the recession by stimulating consumer spending, as if our acquisition of material goods is what we all need to bring our economy back to health. At the same time, there is lots of talk about creating jobs, even though the majority of the manufacturing jobs that might produce the goods used by consumers have been shipped to other countries. None of this makes sense to me.

What does make sense is the new push for frugality and savings that many people are buying into. It no longer seems like “scarcity thinking” to live below one’s means while creating a financial safety net.

The Time Has Come. . .
It’s time to create a new definition of prosperity, one based not on individual material wealth, but on the health and well-being of society and how all of us interact with each other. A definition of prosperity would include a measure of peace of mind, the kind that comes from living within your means and having a financial cushion.

Prosperity is not about how much you can spend or generating a huge income, but about how you can live your life supporting your deep inner values and increasing the amount of love and happiness in your life.

This kind of definition could contribute to lessening the amount of anger, disagreement, and violence that appear daily through our news stories. Perhaps we could take money out of our politics and replace endless disagreements with honest cooperation and respect for each other.

It has to start with loving and respecting ourselves. Take a long hard look at what you are craving now and ask if what you seek is truly in tune with who you are and what matters to you. Do you want to spend your days in an anxious state pushing for more, or are you willing to take a chance and let go and allow good to come to you?

If you are, then your focus can be on love, giving, sharing, and caring. You can love and care for yourself and others and work for the establishment of a healthy society.

There are many people for whom a high-powered life is comfortable and natural. They thrive by building big businesses and working at a fast and furious pace, and they often have a gift for sales and marketing. We need these people to grease the wheels of capitalism.

But if that’s not who you are, then respect yourself and find a personal definition of prosperity that fits who you are and how you want to spend your time.

If this all sounds very philosophical it’s because I’m in that kind of mood. My beloved dog Lucky’s life ended this week, and that kind of event tends to put things in perspective. It brings love and caring to the forefront and diminishes the importance of material success.

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Think Like a Black Belt by Jim Bouchard

Jim Bourchard is a no-nonsense kind of guy who teaches martial arts and lives the philosophy. In his book, Think Like a Black Belt, he shares — in his inimitable no-nonsense way — how to incorporate martial arts principles into daily living in order to insure success.

I’ve never met Jim in person, but we have shared many hours by phone. I have the greatest respect for Jim, his approach to living, and his genuine desire to help people connect to their true inner power.

Learn more about Jim and his book at http://ThinkLikeABlackBeltBlog.com

Last week as I was conducting the End Underearning teleclass, I realized how very difficult it is for most people to make the internal shifts and take the external actions necessary for permanently altering their financial position.

I can give people all the advice in the world with the most specific proven techniques, but they have to take that final step away from their past into a prosperous future.

I remember clearly, although it was way back in 1984, when an up-and-coming seminar leader who was rooming with a friend of mine invited me to his workshop. I had no idea that Tony Robbins’s workshop included a firewalk.

After a few hours of motivating the audience in his inimitable way, Tony had us all line up and get ready to walk over the coals, despite our fear of “bloody stumps” and other imagined horrors. I can still recall the dialogue in my head as I gradually moved myself to the end of the line and tried to talk myself out of walking over the coals.

There I was, next to last, when suddenly this voice boomed out from inside my being, “Joan, you can do it!” Read the rest of this entry »

You have heard from me for a few weeks because I’ve been going through that wonderful state known as “transition.” As the world has been going through its spasmodic changes, I hopped aboard the change train and find myself reaching out in new directions.

I’m not leaving Prosperity Place and the work I do there behind, I’m just adding to the mix, hoping to provide ways for people to earn more in real-world situations.

Over the last year and a half, since I started the first Build Your Money Muscles program, I have come to see that the people who succeed are those who understand that changing one’s financial position takes time, focused attention, and a willingness to do things differently while establishing new thoughts, beliefs, and emotions. Read the rest of this entry »

A number of people have told me that they deal with the current world situation by not listening to the news. That’s like saying, “If I close my eyes, I won’t feel the pain of my broken leg.”

Each of us is part of the whole. We are cells in the body of the planet. The country we live in could be considered one of the organs. As cells, we are affected by the health of the entire body, and in the case of The Earth, the body is ailing — physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Imagine, if you will, that every time someone ingests something that harms the physical body, like refined foods, cigarette smoke, or drugs, it affects the health of the entire organism.

And because emotions are the creative force behind our life stories, imagine that every fear reaction adds to the total amount of terror, and this brings into manifestation terrorist cells, such as Al Qaeda.

Read the rest of this entry »

With everything that is going on in the world, it sometimes feels to me as if the world is falling apart. The news stories often contain phrases such as “the biggest,” “the worst since,” and “never seen before.”

Yet despite what is going on in the world, each of us has to continue performing our day-to-day tasks for our business ventures or jobs. Few of us can just sit back and wait for it all to pass, especially since it would seem that it’s not going to pass.

Uncertainty prevails.

There are times when I just want to surf the Net, go for a nice long walk, or even hide under the covers. On some days, I find it hard to focus on the task at hand.

Read the rest of this entry »

One word that can sum up the current state of world affairs is uncertainty. No one really knows what’s going on and all of the old predictive models aren’t working.

For example, this week, an AP article mentioned that economists had expected a cutback in consumer debt by about $4 billion in July. Instead, there was a $21.6 billion drop. Totally unexpected. Good for consumers, bad for the economy which depends on spending.

People seem to be waiting and hoping that the economy will get back to “normal.”  Most people mean get back to what it was, and that just isn’t going to happen. Our economy depends on consumer spending and consumers are tapped out.

Also, because growth of wages leads to increased spending, that push for the economy has leveled off. With all of the job cuts and people finally learning to spend less and save more or pay down debt, no one knows for sure what will happen to our economy. Uncertainty prevails. If anyone predicts the future with certainty, don’t believe them. Read the rest of this entry »

I recently googled “new economy” looking to see what trends those in the know are seeing. One thing is for sure, our economic future is not going to be a repetition of the near past. The economy will slowly recover, but along with the recovery will be both a shift in priorities and a lot of downsizing.

In an article in the Christain Science Monitor, 10 ways the new economy will look different, value, savings, frugality, second-hand goods, and green jobs stand out as key ideas.

In a CNN series of short articles under the heading How to profit in the new economy  you find words such as downsizing, the rise of freelance nation, new regulations, and demise of the ‘ownership socieity.”

The whole mindset is changing as well, especially for Gen-Ys (16 to 19 year olds) who are our future. This group sees the importance of adopting changing the world as a primary value. They understand the need to work together for the common good, a shift from the rugged individualism that has caused some of our current societal ills. Read the rest of this entry »

Last week, I received a desperate email from a Prosperity Tips subscriber who I’ll call Sam. At his wits end, Sam stated, “I  am dead emotionally. and physically soon.” He went on to say that he had no job and had no way to pay his bills. “Death is best,” he said in closing.

I heard Sam’s hopeless cries and knew I had to contact him.  I googled his name and location, which was the only information I had, and thanks to his LinkedIn profile, discovered where he had last worked. They gave me his phone number and I left a message for Sam to call me.

He did call and we spoke for almost an hour. Sam had been out of work for 18 months, despite sending out dozens of resumes. With no good news, Sam spiraled into depression.

It took a while to help Sam see that he really did have options and opportunities for gratitude, and that what he was learning about himself during this troubled time was important. Finally, he laughed a bit and felt like he could face another day. He promised to call me the next day. Read the rest of this entry »

The current financial crises is forcing many people to become more aware financially than ever before. Financial vagueness and poor financial management skills have caused serious problems on various levels and many are moving toward greater financial responsibility in order to recover–or survive–financially.

Difficult times such as we are in now, act as the catalyst for deep introspection and an examination of values. In order to move into financial stability, what matters has to be defined individually and used as a basis for future behaviors.

Clearly the uber-focus on money and it’s potential as a stimulus for personal happiness and stability has proven to be inadequate to keep society glued together. Money is necessary for our economic survival, but when money becomes the primary focus and goal of our lives, something is lost.

When asked about the financial crisis during a recent airing of Bill Moyers Journal on PBS, the Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, President of Union Theological Seminary said, “It’s a crisis of value. We have misplaced, in deep ways, the ruler that we use to measure what matters most in life. And it has become completely exhausted by monetary value.” Read the rest of this entry »