I recently became aware that I slip in and out of this money thing—One minute I’m in love with money, the next minute I’m trying to figure out how to exist without it.
Well, I’ve decided to go back to being in love with money and to stop making excuses for wanting it and getting it. I realized there is an alignment that needs to take place within me—an inner alignment that transcends outer influences…a cooperation with self.
Apples = Money
Know that money is a means to an end. It’s like knowing you need apples to make an apple pie. So, let’s say you intend to have apple pie. Therefore, you intend to get apples to make the pie. Or, you intend to get the pie already made. Both ways, apples are involved, and you probably have a fondness for apples.
In this analogy, apples represent money. To take this analogy further…Involved in your intention to get the apples (money) to make your pie (your dream), you start to make a plan to get the apples based on what’s readily available. You might think to yourself whether you have to go out to get the apples at a market, whether the market has the kind of apples that are good for baking, whether you want to save money on the apples or save money on gas by choosing a market closer to home even if the apples cost more.
The plan you choose to get the apples will be based on how you feel about what is required of you to get them (the effort).
Side Bar
Time and experience has taught me to leverage the most result with the least effort. However, I learned through trial and error that least effort does not mean lazy or no action. More often than not, least effort means going into your “discomfort zone” as Dr. Robert Anthony puts it. It can mean finding new ways of solving problems and moving into a limitless mindset that tends to gravitate towards solutions instead of problems. That said; let’s get back to our apple pie.
Determine Your Plan
The last point I made before launching into the side bar was…The plan you choose to get the apples will be based on how you feel about what is required of you to get them (the effort). Add to that, the benefit(s) you receive from your efforts. In other words, if you’ve taken time to give thought to the effort, you may have come up with a list of determinants to help you choose the action plan, such as:
1) What else can I get while picking up the apples?
2) How can I keep from making more than one trip?
3) Do I have my shopping/errands list with me prior to leaving home?
4) What other ingredients do I need?
5) What’s on the list that needs additional action?
6) Are there other things that need to be put into place before I go further?
7) How do additional errands fit into my plan?
Should I do that other errand first?
9) Can I use this effort to make more than one apple pie?
10) Can I make more pies to sell or give as gifts?
Even if you choose to have a ready-made apple pie delivered to your door with seemingly no effort on your part, you still made the decision based on what felt best to you at that moment and also on how you felt about the business you placed your order with (trust level) …maybe you’ve tasted their pies before or maybe you decided to be adventurous. You hopefully gathered the info you needed to make your choice and you moved forward and took action.
Action & Memory
Now that you have a plan based on how much leverage (benefits) you get out of it, you can take the action(s) called for while remembering to pick up your benefits along the way and while remembering to look at your list (plan) from time-to-time. This helps you to keep your focus on the tasks and on the initial inspiration and motivation…The apple pie (your dream).
No Money, No Apples? Not Really
Some of you clever folks may ask “what if I don’t have the money to get the apples, much less the pie?” My answer is to keep the dream alive while you intend and decide to get the money, or a free pie. Or, maybe you’ll come to the conclusion that what you really want is something sweet and that you can eat bread with honey which you already have. Working with what you already have is always a plus.
However, the fact that you don’t have the money to afford an apple pie or its ingredients still points to an issue with money that needs to be resolved.
Enough About Apples (for now)…Show Me The Money!
1) Start with the dream.
2) Realize that the object of your dream already exists (whether in parts or in whole).
3) You decide how to acquire the means (money) for your dream based on what’s available and where.
4) Your feelings will help you decide on whether you’re willing to step into a discomfort zone and a limitless mindset to acquire the means (money).
5) You think in terms of creating solutions rather than problems.
6) You decide which effort(s) for acquiring the means (money) gives you the most leverage (benefits).
7) You take action while remembering the benefits and focusing on the dream.
It’s Not Over Yet
You’ve probably heard of the book by Marsha Sinetar entitled Do What You Love, the Money Will Follow…I love that book; it really allowed me to think about what I really wanted to do.
The actions you take to get the means (money) can be (or at least resemble) what you love to do. However, let’s be clear that doing what you love is not the dream in and of itself. The dream is the feelings and experiences you imagine having while doing what you love. Your dream boils down to how you want to feel.
If you decide you want to get that feeling some other way, it’s ok because we all will have a million dreams throughout our lifetime. So, here’s an idea…Pick a dream that’s so BIG that you smile when you think about it whether it is to have a dream house, a dream lifestyle, a dream career, or a dream business.
Think from the end the way we did with the apple pie. Know that it is achievable, no matter how big it seems. Make a plan, follow the plan, and expect sweet surprises along the way.
Enjoy the Process of Creation
Enjoying the process of creation gives you that feeling of timelessness and bliss as you go about putting together the ingredients to bring your dream into existence. This is the essence of abundance.
At those times when it seems that life is giving you a reason to go off your plan…This is the time to dig in and stick closer to your plan. Do not take your focus off of a cooking pie or at least set a timer as a reminder to check on it. Also, choose an object that you can look at or hold that represents your dream—look at it, hold it, and affirm your dream everyday.
Eat Your Apple Pie…Live Your Dream
Now that you’re actually looking at the apple pie (your dream) you wanted, it means that your intentions and efforts have worked. It may also be that the momentum generated from your intentions resulted in your receiving your dream from a completely unexpected source. We’ve all heard of this happening. It’s happened to me.
Your pie may look too good to eat. Eat it anyway and bake other pies. The same with dreams… Sometimes we don’t achieve our dreams because we have a fear of not having anything to live for after the dream is achieved, or maybe a fear of success. There’s no need to fear…Just remember that even after we get our dream there’s still room for growth, improvement, and maintenance. The journey never ends and you can choose peach pie the next time around.
The Jitters
There’s something you need to be prepared for as you experience the blissful feeling of creation I mentioned earlier. This blissfulness can sometimes be followed by slightly sickening feelings that can come with any kind of change, including guilt, sadness, fear and anxiety.
These feelings are usually temporary and can sometimes disappear during a chat with a supportive friend, a walk, a break, a nap and maybe even some chamomile tea. Examine where these feelings may be coming from. Be gentle with yourself. Embrace all of your feelings and bring them into your experience. In other words, use them to move you forward.
These uneasy feelings could also be the jitters that can come because your body knows you’re moments away from stepping into your discomfort zone.
I can attest to the jitters because, in a few hours from now, I will be teaching my very first tele-class. I have taken many tele-classes over the years, but this is the first one where I am the teacher. I’m feeling all kinds of sensations in my body, from joy to fear to calm.
I’m doing this class because I know it will help my own personal development and leadership skills that lead to more money to ultimately manifest my dream.
In addition, there is the heart-centered work that matters, not only to me but to the folks that will be listening in. It gives me a great sense of satisfaction knowing that I will be departing knowledge to people who want a change in their lives. In this tele-class, I will teach people what is involved in becoming a coach like me but in their chosen niche.
This is a free tele-class to kick off the start of the 14 weeks to life coach certification. If you feel like supporting me on this free call and learning something at the same time, you can get the details at www.JacquelineBurroughs.com . You may also shoot me an email to request the class materials to follow along at Jacqueline@IAmJLove.com . The date and time of the free tele-class is Monday, November 24, 2008 at 7pm EST.
I wrote this article from beginning to end without getting bored or distracted because it’s about something I love…Apple pie and money. And now that I have opened a vein about my view on money as a way of acquiring your dream, I am available to help people go after their dream and the money to make it happen with confidence and heart. I can be contacted at the email address mentioned above.