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I am a fairly religious person. I try to live the Golden Rule. I try to be a Good Samaritan. I enjoy helping others. Does this entitle me to have money?

I have never thought that being good entitled me to money. I have thought, however, that because I was “being good,” God would help me with money. Do you think that’s correct?

I think God helps us when we help ourselves. If we just sit and think about money all day, nothing will change. If we make an effort and try to help ourselves, God will help us – but only if we ask.

If this is confusing, read The Richest Man in Babylon.  It is a great book that talks about using money wisely and making it grow. It uses the analogy of money as a servant – which is a great analogy because most people consider money a master.

The Richest Man in Babylon is told in story format, so it is easy to read. It is easy to understand and comprehend. It is hard to have the discipline to follow the advice within its pages, however. If I had followed the advice when I first read the book (when I was in my early 20’s), I would be much richer than I currently am. However, at that time, I didn’t think money was my responsibility. I thought it was the responsibility of my husband. That really let me off the hook, didn’t it? Now I know better. I know that my life and everything in it is my responsibility. My life as a couple, is a joint responsibility, and my family is a familial responsibility.

Taking responsibility for your entire life has freeing effects. It helps you soar and be happy. Realizing that money has no conscience also helps you soar and be rich.

Her statement really got me to thinking about the programs running in my subconscious mind, and how I am still discovering attitudes that have been unaware of until the “aha” moment when I am able to comprehend the outlook. It is literally like a lightbulb going on in my head. I understand what is happening and why I feel as I do about something.

It’s a wonderful, yet frustrating process because once I understand that something I believe is actually faulty, then I have to do something about it. Sometimes I’m not sure what to do, other than try to change my belief through repetition of a correct principal.

Some of this faulty programming might include things such as “there is only so much money to go around,” or “I’m a bad mother,” or “I should be satisfied with what I have and not want more.”

How do you deal with these programs running in your subconscious?

Mercedes-Benz

So I started looking for cars in the paper. I didn’t see anything that struck my fancy and so I thought, “what car do I want for GM?” I visualized an older BMW, Volvo, or Mercedes. (I really like these cars.) My brother-in-law had a 1983 blue Mercedes that ran on diesel. I thought, “oh I want one like SG has.” SG lived in another town about 4 hours away at the time.

I didn’t really think about it too much after that. It was winter and college was still 6 months away. Whenever anyone would ask me about our getting a car for GM the picture of my brother-in-law’s car would flash in my mind and I would say, “we’ll get one this summer.”

Well summer came and we still didn’t have a car. In June I thought I should start to get serious about searching for a car and I began looking in the local paper. One morning the phone rang. It was SG. They were moving to Southern Utah and wouldn’t need their Mercedes anymore. They had loved the car and didn’t want to sell it, but wanted to keep it in the family. So they asked if GM could use it for college!

Talk about being floored. I was ecstatic. They gave us the car! It was one of the coolest experiences. I didn’t even realize what had happened until this past year when I started studying the laws of attraction and realized that I had planted a seed and left it to grow.

I had visualized my brother-in-law’s car, desiring one like it. I hadn’t doubted, just believed. I knew a car would come our way. I would have been happy with a different car. What I really wanted was one that ran and that didn’t cost very much. By not doubting or having fear, I got what I wanted.

Now my dilemma is that I know this stuff works, but I can’t always make it work. Why is that? I think it’s because I fear. Fear drives away the things we want.

1. Law of Perpetual Transmutation. (Circumstances and things are perpetually coming or going according to your thoughts.)  I can never remember “Perpetual Transmutation,” so I just call this the law of change. Things are always changing.

2. Law of Relativity. (Your situation is not fundamentally good or bad until you compare it to something else.) This law reminds me to be grateful – especially when I’m whining. When I whine about my situation, I am usually comparing it to something that I think is better. When I stop and compare it to something that I think is worse, I am always grateful.

3. Law of Vibration. (Your thoughts control your personal vibration. Change your thoughts, get emotional about them, and you’ll change what is attracted to you.) This is the law that the book The Secret is based on. See The Secret to the Secret.

4. Law of Polarity. (Everything has an opposite. A bad situation is equally good. Look for the good, and more good will be on its way.) This is the hardest law for me personally to use. When I use this law, it helps me find the solution to problems – especially with my children.

5. Law of Rhythm. (When you feel down be grateful knowing that (by law) there is an upswing coming. Plan on endless progression upward.) This is the law that I discuss in Look Up for the Good.

6. Law of Cause and Effect. (Action and reaction are equal, in opposite directions. Focus on what you can give, not what you will get.) I love this law because it is easier for me to focus on the value I give my customers than the money I receive.

7. Law of Gender/Gestation. (Plant your own idea seeds, and then be patient. Don’t uproot your idea seed with doubt. Law of the Harvest.) My next entry will explore how I used this law before I knew it even existed!

What are your thoughts on these laws? How have they impacted your life?

A simple exercise that has helped me see what I want is to take a walk – by myself and without headphones. I take my dog. She is quiet, wags her tail when I talk to her, and seems to appreciate the flowers and trees we pass. If you don’t have a dog, take a walk anyway or find a quiet place where you can be alone and think for 15 minutes or so.

As I walk I think about my life as it is and how I want it to be. Since I’ve been doing this, my life has greatly improved. It is an attitude adjustment exercise. I think of all the great things I love, and the things that aren’t so great. I decide what I want my life to look like; then I can work on that.

Some questions you might ponder include:

1. What am I grateful for right now? (When I am down, this quickly changes my mood quickly to one of appreciation.)
2. If I could have anything, what would it be? (Go ahead and dream big.)
3. If I could be anything, what would it be? (Again, dream big.)
4. What brings me the greatest joy? (This one took me a long time. It is usually tied to values, which have to do with relationships, not money.)
5. What can I do today to bring that joy into my life?

Bob Proctor said, “we should love people, and use money.” This is an adage that I have really taken to heart. I used to think that more money would solve my problems. Money makes things easier, but it is to be used, not loved.

By taking a walk and realizing that I get joy from helping others, I have actually become more successful financially. So take a walk and let me know what insights you find.

However, we can turn the topsy turvy wave on an angle so that our highs are higher and our lows are higher as well. That way we can progress upwards instead of only sideways.

So the next time you are down, look upwards for the good that is coming your way.

You have to plant a thought seed and act as if it will happen. For instance, if I want to make more money I have to see myself having that money. But I can’t just sit on my duff and expect “the Universe” to deliver the money to me. I have to take some action – even if that action is searching on the internet for ways to make money, or sending 10 brochures to local businesses, or going to a Chamber of Commerce Meeting to talk to people about my business.

A good example of this is how I market my business. I am a writer and help people market their businesses with soft-sell advertising pieces. I’m not very good at promoting myself; but if someone asks me to evaluate a piece of marketing material, I’m usually full of ideas to help them market their business more effectively. So I have learned to ask people about what they do. We get talking and pretty soon I’m giving them suggestions (for free) and often they will hire me to carry out my own suggestions. If I visualized money coming in and didn’t get out and talk to people, that money wouldn’t come in

Hidden Treasures really impacted my life. I realized that if I was unhappy, I had made myself that way. Although this was a depressing thought, it also gave me the power to unmake my unhappiness.

This unmaking took some time. I also realized along the way that I didn’t really know what I wanted – which was why I didn’t have what I wanted. Seems simple, right? However, I now realize that a lot of people are in the same place. In fact, many people I talk to know that they want their lives to be different; they just don’t know exactly how they want their lives to be.

I’m still working at my life. It is a process; however, since last year my life has greatly improved. This blog will share some of the things that I have learned, and am still learning. I hope along the way I will find others who contribute and share as well, because I have learned that when I am trying to help others, they usually end up teaching me even more.

cosmo

When I’m standing in line to purchase groceries I always like to read the magazine headlines. Cosmopolitan is my favorite. With a picture of a svelte model in a low-cut gown and titles like “10 ways to please your man,” I feel that if I just read the magazine my life would be great. Magazines use some common formulas to turn people’s heads.

1. Numbers: “5 Fabulous Head-Turning Headlines.” I know it seems bland, but readers like numbers in their titles. Not every title, of course, but posts with numbers pull in more traffic! I’m serious. (See Sonia Simone’s article “8 Ways to Use Numbers in Headlines” for more information.)

2. Questions: “Do Questions work in Headlines?” Questions get people to think. They subconsciously answer the question in their own minds and read further to see if you have the same answer they have.

3. How To: “How to Write Great Headlines.” People love to learn and how to headlines teach them.

4. Commands: “Boost Your Readership with Great Headlines.” Take a great selling point of your service or product and put into a headline.

5. Testimonials: “Write Thoughts Headlines Got Me More Readers.” Third-party testimonials are gold. Let your customers do the speaking for you.

Headlines are like a hook on a fishing line. They lure the readers to your site and the copy on your site catches them and keeps them there. A combination of both great headlines and good copy will increase your sales. So turn some heads with great headlines today.