“Prosperity is the experience of having plenty of what we truly need and want in life, material and otherwise.”        Shakti Gawain

Cal grew up in a family with four other brothers and sisters. When I asked him about his family’s social status, he told me that he remembers being embarrassed about the family car because it was old and was hand painted.   There was chicken soup made with chicken necks because that was the least expensive cut of meat.   There was a Christmas tree that came when the lots where giving them away for free days before Christmas.

Cal grew up feeling like there wasn’t enough to go around. His operating system (his subconscious mind) was hardwired with a lack mentality.  Even though Cal made good money in his career, he still struggled with feeling he didn’t have enough.  It permeated everything he did.  It’s how he viewed the world.

“You are prosperous to the degree that you are experiencing peace, health and plenty in your world.”        Catherine Ponder

When I help people get conscious about their money and understand their money beliefs, I’m helping them learn to experience money as a tool. Money is only one part of being prosperous. What I’m really talking about is learning how to have a prosperous mindset.

To me, prosperity means having the ability to do what you want without a lot of financial limitations yet it’s much more than that too.  It’s about feeling grateful for what we have in our life – every day.

Prosperity is a type of freedom. It’s a way of living – an internal mindset. But it’s much more than financial prosperity.  It is feeling prosperous in all parts of our life.

You might be thinking, “Sherold, how do I get my physical needs in this material world taken care of?” It’s true, we all know that we need work to earn enough to take care of our physical needs, wants and save for the future. However, when you focus only on money and the material world, you’re always on the hamster wheel of there’s never enough.

What’s fascinating to me is that even people with a lot of money, still feel like they need more or will lose what they have. They are “attached” to the money as if it’s a lifeline. Often the more money you make, the more you spend. It’s a black hole of “I need more money” no matter how much you have. Even those who come into or make a lot of money have anxiety about how to invest it. Money then becomes a burden.

Being prosperous is a mindset – it is a way of thinking and behaving – it’s an internal mindset. It’s your inner world of thoughts and beliefs. If someone is financially wealthy that doesn’t mean that they feel prosperous. Your financial state is not a guarantee of prosperity. You can feel prosperous and not have a lot of money.

It’s important to practice gratitude for what you do have. Think about your needs and what’s already being met and feel grateful. Feeling prosperous doesn’t mean that you have a lot or need more.

I want you to learn how to start thinking that you already are prosperous.  I also encourage you to get conscious of what beliefs you have from childhood that are blocking you from making or keeping money.

What you wanted last year is different from what you want today. Following your heart’s desires will lead you to feeling prosperous and happy. I feel prosperous being in nature with the abundance of natural beauty.

If you have a “lack” mentality and you grew up without a lot of money or things, your view of the world may always feel like there’s never enough. You can feel prosperous without a lot of money and you can feel poor when you are rich. The key is your mindset.

So what did Cal do to work on his early childhood beliefs? He worked with a certified facilitator of The Work of Byron Katie. It’s the industrial strength method for working deep-set beliefs.

I’m in my fourth year of training in The Institute for The Work.  I use this method to group coach people in my Smart Women Make Money class. This is where the transformation happens.

We all have beliefs and habits that block us from living the life we want. Many of these beliefs are hardwired in our operating system and were modeled to us in childhood by our family. Often we didn’t get our basic needs met – love, attention, enough food, the right clothing – and this caused us to experience life a certain way.

Becoming consciousness of what you believe is key to waking up and co-creating the life you want. You can see what is blocking you from living a prosperous life.

To truly feel prosperous, follow your heart’s desires.

• You have to ask yourself as often as possible, what do I really want?
• What’s important to me in life?
• What needs do I have that I want to get met? Remember you want to align your needs with your hearts desire.

To practice feeling prosperous, I invite you to practice these steps:

Step 1: Gratitude is a key ingredient in having a prosperous life.  

• I recommend a daily practice of writing down in stream of consciousness fashion – what you are grateful for each day.

• Another way to do this is after you wake in the morning and before you move around to get up, say out loud what you are grateful for.

• You can keep a notebook handy to write down all the good things that happen in your life. When you look at this list as a whole picture, you’ll see all the good happening in your life.

• I keep a “Happiness” email folder where I store all the positive comments from clients and participants in my classes. You can also post them around your desk if you work in a private area.

2. What would a prosperous life look like for you? Remember it’s not only money and the material world. What would your emotional, mental, physical and spiritual life look life if you felt truly prosperous?

I’d love to hear from you what you use to feel prosperous and live with gratitude.  If you like this article, please share it.

To your prosperity!

Photo: Jenny Downing/Creative Commons