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Our lives. What millionaires would lead…if they could afford it
This is my new mantra. It came to me as I was just thinking about how blessed
I am to be able to stay home with my children. "Ahhh", I thought to myself, "we homeschoolers are the envy of the world."
These are my thoughts on those days when my friends who don’t homeschool call me in a panic over a childcare
arrangement or other crisis related to the awesome balancing act of working full time and raising children. "But wait", I
say to myself later after some further thought, "If we are so fortunate, why is that pretty much across the board we are all
challenged financially?" There is no reason why anyone should be suffering. We live in a community/world/universe full of
abundance. Why aren’t we getting our share?
Of course the answer is complex and I am not trying to simplify,
but, having experienced a whole range of financial situations, from being homeless to abundance, I must say that there is
nothing honorable about denying ourselves our just financial dues. We are as entitled to the abundance of this world as the
next one…maybe even more so. Me personally, I am done with a life of deprivation. No more will I search through couch
cushions looking for gas money. No longer will I plan our weekly meals around who is having a birthday party or hosting a
Tupperware, Usborne or Melaleuca demonstration and will there be food. I am moving on up! Are you with me?
Oh, and
it’s not just me! There is a movement in the community. During a recent sleepover, I was sitting and talking with my
friend Ife, a fellow homeschooler who is also a single stay at home mom of two. We have both suffered through some severe
financial hardships but we both agreed that this has been one of the most prosperous years for us yet. We compared notes and
were struck by how similar our experiences have been. In particular, there were six steps that we agreed upon that have helped
us to turn our lives around and placed us on the road to more abundance.
Step 1: Get rid of the "lack" mentality.
Stop thinking of yourself as lacking, but assume a posture of gratitude and appreciation for all of the things that you have.
Thoughts are very powerful and are "first cause." Thoughts push words out of our mouths (second cause) and words lead to action
(third cause). Therefore, you must monitor your words and thoughts very carefully. Stop thinking of yourself as a supplicant
living in a world of "lack." Never, ever use the following phrases: "I have no money," "I am poor," "I am broke." Proclaim
who you are…a co-creator of the Universe. Know that every desire is but a thought away. Proclaim!
Step 2: Behave
as though your prayers have already been answered. If you ask for a house, start packing. If you need a new car be specific
about color, make and model. Plan a road trip. Buy a cute bumper sticker. Have Faith!
Step 3: Clear the way. Sometimes
we hold on to so much clutter and garbage that it is hard for our blessings to find a place to settle. Clear your space, both
physically and emotionally and place yourself in a posture of receiving. Sometimes we ask for things but we have not prepared
ourselves for the gifts. Rid yourself of things that you are not using…pass them on to friends or the Salvation Army.
When we detach ourselves from possessions, be they emotional or physical, new and more wonderful things show up to take their
place. But the key here is to replace only what you are willing to give away. Don’t accept a gift of a new piano and
hold on to the old one…pass it on. You can’t accept a gift of love, if you are holding on to anger or hurt. Release!
Step 4: Steward what you have. How can you possibly hope for more if you are wasting or not taking care of the that
which you already possess. Recently, in preparation for our abundance, I sat down with my children and combed through our
budget. I was amazed at the waste. A subscription to both AOL and MSN! (cancel that). Coffee deliveries every month from Gevalia,
lured by promises of free coffee maker, which ended up costing me about $200 in coffee that I didn’t drink. Dues to
a health club I never visited (found a cheaper deal to the same club for 1/3 the price and guess what? I started going!).
In total I ended up saving about $140 per month just from eliminating waste from my recurring expense category. Steward!
Step
5: Pay yourself first or give it away. Both Ife and I had a 10% rule. Her rule was to take 10% off the top and pay herself.
Mine was to give the first 10% away. In my quest to raise myself from a mentality of lack, I read all the books on "how to
become a millionaire". Similar to Ife’s idea, they all agreed that you should pay yourself first. In one book, "The
Automatic Millionaire" the author suggested that you have automatic payments come out of your paycheck so that you never even
see the money. Have 10% of your paycheck go to a credit union for example, and vow not to touch it. But, don’t do like
my sister and have the money taken out on Friday and show up 8 a.m. Monday demanding it back. Let it sit. Forget about it!
Another common theme in my readings was that enlightened millionaires give the first 10% away. For some reason it
was easier for me to latch on to this concept than the one of paying myself first. So now, every time I receive a gift from
the Universe, I take out my check book and start writing checks to people who I have been thinking about. Share!
Step
6: Create the world that you deserve. We are co-creators of a Universe filled with abundance. Surely we are entitled. Consciously
and responsibly partaking of abundance will not deprive other’s of theirs. Ask for "Create-ive" energy and be open to
new ideas. Communicate your new found hope to your mate and your children. Work in concert with your community who are also
deserving of your prosperity and generosity. Create!
And finally, know that all is perfection…Know it!
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