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Beware (Be Aware of) these 5 Unhelpful Money Stories

6/23/2015

Have you ever walked behind someone who's smoking and got caught in their second-hand smoke? For most people, it's not a fun experience. Negative beliefs are like second-hand smoke. You might not want them, but somehow you find yourself surrounded by them. (Thanks to Rev James Mellon for this great metaphor!)

There are certain money stories that negatively fill the air around you. How do you make sure not to breathe them in? The first step is to be aware that these negative money stories exist. Sometimes they're so pervasive that people accept them as fact, like people accepting smog as a way of life in Los Angeles or Beijing. The more aware you are, the greater your power to choose what you accept or don't accept in your life.

Here are 5 Unhelpful Money Stories to Beware (Be Aware).

You have to work hard for your money.
This is one of the most common beliefs about money, that you need to produce blood, sweat and tears to make a "hard-earned living." When you believe this money story, then making money equates to struggle. Or if you're not making enough money, then the reasoning goes that you're not working hard enough. When the opportunity becomes available for money to come to you easily and effortlessly, you'll most likely think there's a catch and you might pass on that opportunity.
The only reason to work is to make money.
Just like the previous money story, work and money often go together hand in hand. "This is just a job" is another way to say this money story. I've worked with a number of clients who've stayed in jobs they hate just because they believed this money story. Working only for the sake of money leaves out the possibility that work can be meaningful or life-affirming.
Once I have a lot of money, then I'll finally feel secure.
This money story sets the finish line way out of reach. Security is something that you'll have "one day." In the meantime, this money story makes people feel insecure and always comparing themselves to others. Did you know there are some multimillionaires who feel this way? The question to ask in this money story is, When is enough ever enough?
Money isn't really that important to me.
I've heard this money story from many people who would rather focus on good works or charity. The underlying idea in this money story is that money isn't important in the bigger scheme of life. But let me ask you this. If money were a living, breathing being, how would it feel if you told it that it wasn't really that important? As I teach in the Re-Write Your Money Story program, money listens to what you say about it and responds to you the same way that you treat it.
All I need is a break, like winning the lottery.
In this money story, life is either all about luck or fate. You're just waiting for that one lucky break where everything will fall into place for you. After that, you get to live life on Easy Street. Here, life is more about what happens to you, by some external phenomenon. You give up your personal power, and you get mad at other people who seem to be doing better than you.

If you noticed yourself in one or more of these stories, congratulations! It means that you're aware that you're carrying a money story. Now the next step to take is to choose whether or not you want to keep that story. Does it serve you, or does it not serve you? If you realize it doesn't serve you, then you have the opportunity to Re-Write Your Money Story.

A few days ago, the doors officially opened for the "Re-Write Your Money Story" program. Re-Write Your Money Story is a transformative four-session one-on-one coaching program to:

Uncover and release your negative money beliefs and habits.
Reduce your money stress and anxiety.
Get clarity on your next steps in improving your money relationship.

Just like the 5 unhelpful money stories above, the program helps you to identify the unhelpful money stories operating in your life and to create new money stories that serve you. In the last round of this program this past Spring, the results were phenomenal.

Timothy Rich, a past participant in this program, had this to say: "This has been a rich experience. I'm re-examining my old beliefs and working my way towards new affirmations about money."

Chris Tompkins, another past participant, claimed that "the value of doing this work has truly been life-changing for me. It's taken my beliefs about money and abundance to a whole new level."

I am offering a very special price that ends on June 30, 2015, and I am limiting this program to six participants. Two of the slots have already been filled, so I encourage you to check it out if you have any interest.

For more details about this program, here's the link:

Re-Write Your Money Story <-- click here

Take a peek and see if this program calls to you. Here's to you claiming and embracing the stories that uplift you and the world.

If you have any comments about these money stories, share a comment below. I'd love to hear from you!

Abundant Blessings.

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You are not your Stories. You are the Story-Teller.

6/17/2015

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When I was a child, I loved stories. Whether I experienced stories through books, story-telling time or in movies, I loved getting lost in these other worlds. Some of my favorites were: Where the Wild Things Are, Star Wars, and The Chronicles of Narnia. Ah, the memories. At some point, though, the stories ended. With a sigh, I'd close the book or end the movie, and return to reality.

But sometimes there are stories that don’t end – and they blend into and become reality. These are stories that you hear from your parents, your school, television, or your place of worship (if you grew up with one).

Maybe you’re familiar with some of these stories:

You have to work hard for your money.
Life isn’t fair.
This is a dog eat dog world.
The worst thing in life is to end up alone.
Money is the root of all evil.

This is a list of popular sayings, yes, but they also are stories. Each paint a picture of how the world works.

The thing about these stories is that when you hear them over and over again, it’s easy to start to believe them. For example, let's take the story that "you have to work hard for your money."

Your parents tell you that you have to work hard for your money, so you make sure to work hard to get good grades so you could eventually make good money.
Your teachers tell you that you have to work hard for your money, so make sure you choose a good-paying career that’s safe and secure.
Your boss tells you that you have to work hard for your money, so you work from early morning until night, taking little lunch breaks, and bring your work home with you.

Everyone around you is telling the same story! When you believe the stories, the stories become your life. The stories create the identity of who you think you are. In some cases, you pass these stories on to others, like little children, who then go through the same cycle. Lather, rinse, repeat.

But guess what? The stories are just that – stories. Just as you picked up a book as a child, you can put that book down again. The stories are not who you are. The truth is – You are the Story-Teller.

This month, I’ve opened the doors to my program “Re-Write Your Money Story.” Money stories are beliefs, emotions and experiences you hold that affect your relationship with money. Each of us carries a money story (more than one, actually), and some of those money stories negatively impact your life. You know you’re carrying a negative money story if you feel stressed out or anxious when you think about money, or if you’re afraid to look at or even think about your money. For more info about this program click here: Re-Write Your Money Story Program.

As the Story-Teller, you get to re-write your story and choose a different path that the story takes. Even if you had a bad experience earlier in life, you can use what’s called a “re-frame” and choose to look at the story from a different perspective.

So here’s your coaching assignment for the week:

Look at one thing in your life that you’d like to change. This could be something big or something small. Something small might be wanting to eat more vegetables.
See what the story might be underneath that thing you want to change. For example, you might not be eating vegetables because you have a story that vegetables are bland and not tasty.
Once you have that story, see if you can think of another story that supports the new change you’d like to make. For example, a new story could be that you can find recipes that make vegetables tasty and delicious. The internet is full of great, simple recipes.
With that new story, make a plan of action and then do it. Action helps to ground your new story and give it life. And remember to celebrate!

The trick to re-writing a story is to uncover the underlying story in the first place. Once you find the story, then you get to choose whether to keep that story or replace it with another one. The process isn’t always easy, but it is transformative and it is do-able. How do I know that? Because I know in my heart that you are not any of your stories. You are the master Story-Teller. Now go forth and create your Life Story, just as if you were the writer, actor and director of your own movie. Namaste.

I'd love to hear your thoughts about the stories you carry in your life. Please leave a comment below. And if you need some extra support, know that I am available to be a listening ear and provide some guidance if you'd like clarity on how to find and re-write your story. Click here to contact me for a free clarity session with prayer.

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Today I choose to live my GREATNESS

6/10/2015

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As part of a prosperity course I'm taking at the Global Truth Center, we have an assignment where we come up with affirmations. Affirmations are statements that affirm for us a truth we seek to realize in our life. Here's the affirmation I came up with for our class yesterday:

Today I choose to live my GREATNESS.

If you think about it, this is a pretty audacious affirmation. Owning your "greatness" means that you have to embrace the truth that who you are as greatness. It means letting go of the voices that tell you otherwise. You might be familiar with those belittling voices. They say, "Who do you think you are to want to do that or be that?" Or they say, "Why do you want to be so different? Just be like everyone else."

A couple of my clients shared with me this week that they want to be doing work that's meaningful to them. They're tired of jobs that drain their energy. But when they started to explore doing work that seemed like dream jobs to them, their inner negative voices started to emerge. That's one of the reasons why having affirmations help. Affirmations neutralize these negative voices and encourage you to imagine greater possibilities.

So what would your life looked like if you lived your greatness? Would you approach life any differently? What would you have to let go in order to stand in your greatness?

When I talk about greatness, I'm not necessarily talking about big heroic acts where you get to save the world. Greatness can show up in the smallest of interactions. For example, if you made a commitment to eat healthy, living your greatness can mean saying no to eating that dessert. If you made a decision to have a loving honest relationship with someone, living your greatness can look like your willingness to have those delicate conversations that you know need to happen. Sometimes no one even gets to see you living your greatness. Sometimes it's only you.

And living your greatness doesn't mean that fear doesn't show up. When you step into your powerful self, you're bound to stretch beyond your comfort zone. But instead of letting fear drive your life, you act in spite of your fear. Your powerful self gets to take a stand for what's important to you.

Living your greatness is your saying YES to what really matters to you.

So here's your coaching assignment for the week. Take out your journal or a piece of paper and answer these questions:

What can living your greatness look like in your life? How would you feel about life itself if you lived your greatness?
Where in your life are you not living your greatness? How do you feel when you're not living your greatness? Is there one little thing you can do to shift that experience this week? If you can think of something, then go ahead and do it.

Let's get rid of the idea that you don't deserve to live a life of greatness. The truth is, greatness is already who you are! And greatness is the truth of everyone in your life. Let's stop pretending that we have to play small or that we have to accept mediocrity. There's a bigger game of life waiting for you. Let's play to the greatness of who we are. Namaste.

I'd love to hear what living your greatness looks like in your life. Please leave a comment below. And if you need some extra support, know that I am available to be a listening ear and provide some guidance. Click here to contact me for some complimentary one-on-one time.

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Why taking time to celebrate matters

6/3/2015

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A couple weekends ago, I graduated from the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley. After starting the journey in August 2011, I walked across the commencement stage in May 2015 to receive my Master of Divinity.

At first, I didn't want to have a big celebration because I didn't want to make a big "fuss" of it all. The truth is, there was a part of me that didn't want all the attention. That part of me wanted to play "small."

Have you ever accomplished something incredible, but then wanted to not share it with others? Do you have a gift, talent or expertise, but have been too afraid to not let people know about it?

Fear is one of the main reasons people like to play small. When I work with clients, I often hear this voice echoed in many of their concerns. "Who am I to live life full out? I don't deserve to have (this great job, wonderful relationship, fill in the blank here) in my life. If I let myself be happy, what if I get disappointed if I don't get what I want?"

Whatever the reason, you might find yourself stopping yourself from even dreaming magnificent possibilities in your life, much less taking steps towards that dream.

So what did I do about celebrating my graduation?

In the end, I decided to have a big celebration. I invited a number of friends, family, people from my spiritual community and people from my school. My mom hosted a wonderful buffet at a Chinese restaurant where we all shared and connected with each other. Later, at my mom's house, my partner Richard led the group of us in a champagne/sparkling cider toast where each person spoke about how I had impacted their lives and how much they loved me.

With all this love, my heart broke open. That's when I realized...this is why celebrations matter.

When you celebrate, it's not only you that is being celebrated. Yes, you may have made the effort. But in most cases, that effort relied on others around you.

For me, this was a celebration of my friends, my family, my community. They cheered me on, encouraged me, and supported me towards this vision of getting this degree. This wasn't just my accomplishment. This was the accomplishment of many people.

In truth, celebration is a spiritual practice because we invite a greater awareness of joy in our life. We open our hearts in gratitude for the workings of Spirit in and as our lives. When we celebrate, we affirm the feeling of YES - what we're celebrating is good, and we want more of this good in our lives.

So here's your coaching assignment for the week:

Where in your life can you celebrate? This doesn't have to be something as big as getting a degree. It could be the fact that you went to the gym after not having gone for a long time. Or it could be that you opened up a savings account and put $100 in there. There's something you can celebrate. What is it?
Then find at least one other person and take some time to celebrate. Share this with your loved ones during a meal. Call someone and tell them you want to celebrate. Take a moment to receive some "Woo-hoo's" and high-fives. Celebrate!
And then ask others what they can celebrate in their lives. Let the celebration dance continue.

Wherever you can celebrate, go ahead and celebrate. And celebrate often.

Invite the joy of celebration into your life and the lives of those around you. Know that this Universe is a giving Universe, and that you are worthy of celebration, simply because of who you are. Namaste.

I'd love to hear about your celebrations, and any thoughts and any questions you might have about celebrations. Please leave a comment below. And if you need some extra support, know that I am available to be a listening ear and provide some guidance. Click here to contact me for some complimentary one-on-one time.

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abundant good blog

Beware (Be Aware of) these 5 Unhelpful Money Stories

You are not your Stories. You are the Story-Teller.

Today I choose to live my GREATNESS

Why taking time to celebrate matters

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