Are you worried about your finances? Does the thought of whether you’ll have enough money to pay your bills keep you awake?

Well, if so, you’re not alone. Surveys estimate that anywhere from 51% to 77% of Americans worry about money. That’s a lot of worrying going on! And the truth is, I have consistently been one of them, until recently. Worry used to plague me at night and wake me up in the morning. When I became self-employed, that worry got worse. A lot worse! In fact, it became all-consuming.

So today, I’m hoping my story will inspire you to look at your finances differently because there is a lot of conflicting information out there and it can be overwhelming.

I’ve been studying about the Law of Attraction for over 20 years. When I was 25, I read a book called, Conversations with God, by Neale Donald Walsh. That’s when I began to realize that the world works very differently then what I was raised to believe. There is another way of the looking at the Universe that is contrary to anything I’d been taught at home or school.

At first, I dismissed it as crazy, because if it were real more people would be aware… right? In essence, what I’ve learned, and hopefully you’ve become aware of too, is that everything that happens in our lives is the result of our thinking. In other words, we are not the victims of our circumstances, we are the creators of it.

As a child who was bullied many times throughout my childhood, it was hard for me to believe that I had created these terrible circumstances. In fact, the very thought made me angry at first. It wasn’t until I was much older that I could see that these were important lessons for me to learn; such as standing up for myself and not letting other people’s opinions define me.

My lifepath has continued with these lessons as I stepped out into public speaking and writing. I had to become comfortable with being judged. Some people would appreciate my thoughts and some would criticize them. Now, I realize that’s just fine. Each of us is entitled to our own opinions. But, it has taken me a long while and a lot of internal work to be okay with that.

My point is, understanding true abundance requires that we believe that we are the creators of our reality. It’s also understanding that good is flowing to us all the time. This is a tough concept to grasp for most of us. Good flowing to us all the time? Then, why do bad things happen to me? It’s our perception that makes something show up as good or bad. It’s how we receive the “thing” that shows up and choose to define it.

As a manager, having to write employees up and even let employees go was an essential part of my job. It wasn’t fun by any means, but often I could see that it was an employee’s best interest to do so because the truth was, they weren’t happy with their job.

Naturally, most employees fought tooth and nail to stay – their need to survive kicked in and even though they were unhappy, they knew no other way to make money to pay the bills. We’ve all been there and many of us are still there today. We think that our employer is our source. The good news is, your employer is not your source!

These poor employees would be devastated. Some would put tremendous energy into fighting us on the decision to let them go. This energy would have been better spent on finding a job that was a better fit. The problem was, they defined being let go as a “bad thing”, rather than seeing the positive within it and the new opportunities it created for them.  

It’s in the letting go of calling something bad and opening our minds to the possibility of the good that we begin to see that the Universe is truly conspiring on our behalf. Sometimes, by means of a spiritual boot to the butt! And it’s only in looking backward that we can see that it was for our benefit. Yet, what if we could see the good in these moments as they are happening?

As I stepped out into being self-employed and not having that steady paycheck, I had to learn that money comes from many sources, not just from work. I was terrified when I left my job because I had no idea how we would pay our bills.

Six years later, it astounds me how money has just magically showed up when we needed it and from many unexpected sources. Sometimes it was in an idea – like downsizing our house or refinancing for a lower mortgage payment. Sometimes it was in the form of a roommate who helped pay the bills or a friend who invited us to stay at their vacation place. Sometimes it was an inheritance or an investment that did really well.

The point is, that despite all my constant worrying, I have finally realized I need to chill out. I have been worrying way too much! The best part is, the more I stop worrying, the more money flows in. It’s really fun to see now that I am more consistently staying in the space of feeling good. I almost have to giggle at all the wonderful ways abundance shows up. So many surprises! I’m glad to say that I think I’ve finally gotten it after all these years – the Universe really does have my back.

The Universe has your back too! If you find yourself feeling envious (which is normal), try saying to yourself “I’ll have that too please!” Because what’s possible for me is possible for you too. In fact, it is inevitable as you continuously take your mind off the lack and worry and place your attention on the good that you already have. The key is, as often as you can, to generate a state of feeling good by focusing on what’s going well topics and things that put you in a good mood.

Every time your mind wonders to the negative, you must catch it and shift it back to the good. Every time you feel shame for the mistakes you’ve made, you must forgive yourself and let them go. Keep focusing on the good you’re doing right now. Continue to take baby steps towards what you want. But most importantly, stay in a space of feeling good. 

Like a puppy being trained not to pee on your carpet, you must continue to redirect your mind to the right behavior. This takes discipline and patience! There are no overnight successes. In fact, it’s taken me years! But, it is so worth it. Why? Because the quality of your life will improve in every area – your relationships, your time and freedom, your finances and even your level of joy. All areas of your life will continue to improve as you focus on the good that is already happening with you and for you.

By the way, this also means you must allow yourself to receive the good; a friend paying for dinner, a family member offering to do your dishes, a stranger who buys you coffee. Here’s the truth… you are already worthy and deserving. You don’t have to do anything to deserve it. You don’t have to earn it. That’s what we often think and it’s wrong. There doesn’t have to be strings attached either. Someone could be doing it just from the kindness of their heart. Let them! Just let the good flow in. 

In fact, practice feeling grateful that the Universe sent you this wonderful person to remind you that good is flowing your way all the time. In seeing and receiving the good from others, with gratitude, you make more good things welcome. Receiving the good, giving good and being appreciative of the good, that is how to attract abundance – really.

Blessings,

Danielle