Prosperity Equilibrium

Is Cash Really Worth Pursuing?

If I were asked for a quick one word answer, I would have to say, “Yes!” We live in a world where cash is the main medium of exchange, and life with restricted cash flow can become difficult in the extreme.

At the same time, a total dedication to building wealth, excluding all other human values and joys, is a pretty empty endeavor. It isn’t the pursuit of wealth or capitalism that is the evil force in this equation, but rather the imbalance that a devotion to accumulating wealth produces in many people. Obviously, multi-billionaire Warren Buffet has his head and values screwed on straight. For him and Bill Gates and the late Steve Jobs and some others of immense wealth, there is a wisdom and balance in how they handle it. But these are exceptional people, and even a larger number of the wealthy haven’t had the training, education, or upbringing that gives them the tools to maintain their prosperity equilibrium.

I just came up with that term as I was writing this, and immediately decided it was the perfect title for this post. Equilibrium is described as the condition of a system in which competing influences are balanced. Capitalism and entrepreneurship are what made our nation great, and are good forces for enriching and even ennobling. But not when they are tainted with greed, selfishness, pathological obsession, lack of human compassion and lack of any uplifting vision.

What set me off on this tangent in the first place was a question posted on a religious blog someone sent me:  ”Can cash console you at 1:00AM?”  And my answer there, too, is an emphatic “Yes!” If I am feeling lonely, depressed, upset, or anxious at one o’clock in a dreary morning, having access to lots of discretionary funds can console me a lot. And I don’t have to even go the route of that poor emotionally disturbed creature, Charlie Sheen, and buy hookers and cocaine to do the job of making me feel better. If I have piles of cash put aside, I can invite a bunch of friends to visit me from all over the world, fly them in from London and Panama and South Africa and Hawaii and all across the United States–put all of us up in a beautiful resort and just visit and play together for several days or a week or two. Or I can fly myself to a poor village in a third world nation and dispense gifts that would mean something, like a good water system, a medical clinic, computers for all the children. I guarantee, either of these expensive ventures would take me out of myself and whatever real or imagined troubles or anxieties I had. But even simpler and smaller exchanges of money could do the job. I’m sure you can think of many ways you could use some extra money to console yourself at 1:00AM no matter what was happening. And even some that wouldn’t take cash.

A basic rule of human existence that we all learn in one form or another is that if you are having a good life, money can do things to make it even better–and if you are having a bad life, money alone can’t help. But it certainly can console us in many of life’s travails.

If I haven’t convinced you of my basic premise, then I will make you a special holiday offer. In this time of generous good cheer, I will be happy to receive any extra cash you want to send to me, and I will use it to console myself in very positive, enlightened, and highly pleasurable ways–and send you a full report of how I used your cash so you might learn what to do with it in the future.

Jerry

Occupy Your Own Mind

What You Can Learn From the Occupy Wall Street Movement

I think a lot of people observing and commenting on the current protests, which have happened in over 100 American cities, as well as hundreds more overseas, have gotten it wrong. The demonstrations don’t have strong individual leadership at the top, nor did they start out with a specific agenda–other than bringing attention to the disparity between the haves (or the 1%), and the have-nots (the 99%) in economic poverty or stagnation. Looking at former such demonstrations, however, this has been the most remarkably disciplined and focused series of mass rallies ever organized. Almost no violence, other than when a few police have been less disciplined than the demonstrators and responded to rude comments with ruder behavior, (and some of these involved non-police, security toughs brought in by the very corporations being picketed.) In New York, these were the guys in the white shirts, one of whom was shown to shockingly slug a female occupier, knocking her to the ground. But all of that is not what’s really essential about Occupy Wall Street.

The Results So Far–And How You Can Internalize

I think the biggest and longest-lasting result is and will be for some time, the increased discussion of the great disparity between the highest earners and the middle class and low income Americans. The figures just released show middle-class income went up 40% in the past thirty years, while the highest income levels increased 275%. And I don’t think we would even be paying much attention to that shocking figure if it weren’t for this new movement. Nor would there have been such discussion of the deficit and spending cuts if it weren’t for the Tea Party. Both these movements have demonstrated that demonstrations work. If the Occupy Wall Street people can come up with a political agenda, and considering that from 75% to 90% of the population agrees the financial gap has to end, we could be looking at a wave election that will totally confound all current predictions about next year’s election.

So what do I mean about occupying your own mind and internalizing it? Well, I suggest you imagine a demonstration going on in your mind. First make a list of everything you would like to see changed in your life, everything you want, everything you want to eliminate. And then picture a group of demonstrators holding signs to describe these aspirations. Signs like:

A Bigger Audience For My Creative Efforts

Someone to Market My Products and Services

A More Supportive Relationship

It doesn’t really matter what you choices are, and they can be changed as you continue. To take it further, imagine all your brain cells are watching these demonstrations inside your head and being impacted by them. In other words, you are campaigning directly to the audience that will most likely help you change your results. It may feel strange or silly, but try it anyway. The great thing about an internal process like this is that no one else knows you are doing it. And what you are doing with this exercise is what the Occupy Wall Street protestors have done with the economic disparity issue, brought into a glaring spotlight the major issues holding you back. A discussion started is the first step toward effective resolution.

Jerry

How’s Your Empire Doing?

“The Empires of The Future are The Empires of The Mind.”                                                                                       Winston Churchill

It seems to me that today a lot of thinking in politics, economics, international relations, and many other areas of life is rooted in old paradigms and remnants of the past. We are imprisoned by the stone walls of our limited imaginations and aspirations. The world is facing perhaps its greatest challenges in history, and countless so-called leaders are bogged down in discussions about how big or small government should be, whether climate change or evolution are fact or opinion, and whether taxing billionaires is class warfare when the gaps between rich and poor are greater than ever before in human history. I’m not taking sides here, just suggesting that we are discussing the wrong things, asking the wrong questions, not recognizing that a new reality has dawned and this is the 21st Century.

In preparing my most recent Moneylove Club audio, I went back to one of those books that changed the way people viewed the world, Future Shock by Alvin Toffler. He wrote it in 1970 and it was filled with some truths about the changes facing us–and the amazing thing is that some people are still stuck in the world that existed then, making a lot of what Toffler said as relevant today as it was back then.

Alvin Toffler said that future shock was:

The shattering stress and disorientation that we induce in individuals by subjecting them to too much change in too short a time.

Do you see where some of this is happening right now, forty-one years after publication of the book?  Or how about this Toffler quote:

Idea assassins rush forward to kill any new suggestion on the grounds of its impracticality, while defending whatever now exists as practical, no matter how absurd.

This certainly sounds like an up-to-the-moment description of many members of Congress. But perhaps the Toffler quote that has the most relevance today, particularly with all the current talk about the lapses in our education systems and how to remedy them:

The illiterate of the 21st Century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.

This sounds very much like what Melinda Gates was describing  just today during a TV discussion on Morning Joe about education.  The fact that students need more great, dedicated teachers to prepare them for life in this new era. The Gates Foundation has put its money where its mouth is on this issue, pouring millions into various school systems to affect positive change. And where are most politicians on this issue? Arguing about the merits of teachers’ unions versus non-union teachers. Melinda Gates says their extensive research shows no difference in learning results between states with strong teachers’  unions and right-to-work states. It’s about the quality of the teaching. Did you have at least one great teacher you still remember fondly, who inspired you to reach higher than you otherwise might have? Most of us have had that powerful experience, but many students today can’t even relate to that situation.

We need to expand the empires of our minds in many ways and many new directions, or else end up future shocked into oblivion.

Jerry

Jerry

Prosperity Conscious View of U.S. Economy

Finally, Some Adult Opinions On The Way Things Really Are

Thank goodness for some sensible information now coming at us from Forbes, The Daily Beast, and Newsweek.  Victoria Pynchon at Forbes called the Daily Beast article, Stop The Panic, It’s Not 2008, the “best economic news in several months.” I would have underlined “news,” as this is just what it is rather than all the doom and gloom opinion we’ve been getting from all sides of the political spectrum.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/08/14/economic-recovery-is-on-the-horizon.html

Let’s Put An End To Psychological Poverty Conscious Warfare

The significant news in our economic history isn’t the first downgrade by Standard and Poor’s–what is significant and much more dangerous is the first time the nation’s economy has been used as a political football by politicians, both liberal and conservative (are there any moderates left in Washington?). Over 35 years ago in Moneylove, I said that the economy is not so much about facts and figures as it is about emotions. Today that translates into confidence, confidence in our ability to pay our bills, confidence in the U.S. dollar, confidence in our ability to continue to provide and support the American Dream. But when politicians threaten that confidence, either to defeat Barack Obama’s second term bid, or to demonize the Tea Party and other Republicans, it verges on serious psychological warfare against that confidence.

This is childish and self-defeating, and while it may not meet the definition of sedition or treason, it does smack of serious disloyalty to our nation. I think President Obama was way out of line when he threatened the fiscal sanctity of Social Security checks and military paychecks. I couldn’t believe it when I heard those remarks, and immediately wondered if any seniors with heart conditions would just keel over in anxiety and panic over not getting their monthly check.  And Obama knew very well that these payments were never in real danger–it was a foolish and irresponsible statement at the very least. But of course the Republicans, never ones to miss an opportunity to demonstrate foot-in-mouth disease, then took us to the brink of default with their stupid machinations over the raising of the debt ceiling.  Their action in sabotaging the Boehner-Obama “Grand Plan” that would have reduced the deficit by $4 trillion was a perfect example of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Almost complete consensus from economists on all sides of the political spectrum said that we needed to raise the debt ceiling. Playing games with that truth was an act of immature spite. Now understand, I am not saying we didn’t have to deal with the deficit, but it is far from the primary current concern that Washington has made it seem. I can also understand the frustration of Tea Party members of Congress, in not making any real headway on the promises they made to get elected–but holding what had been a bipartisan automatic activity of government as hostage was risky business, and produced some major dents in worldwide confidence in the U.S. economy. This counts a lot more than how much we owe to China. Frankly, with the high unemployment rate, who cares how much we owe to China? They certainly haven’t lowered their confidence in U.S. Treasury bonds as the safest investment in the world.

It’s time to stop blaming the other side, whichever side you are now on. Both sides contributed to the psychological warfare, both sides have to change. The good news is that things can only get better in Washington. And we should start by stopping the continuing debate about whose fault the debt ceiling fiasco was, and stop declaring one side or the other was the “winner.” The nation wasn’t a winner in this, and we have the opportunity with the so-called Super Committee to come out ahead of the game. We all should put pressure on our legislators to come up with a strong, positive solution and not just reach a stalemate again and let the default position be activated.

And it wouldn’t hurt to give yourself a personal affirmation to repeat often, something like:

“No matter what the economy is doing, or anyone else says it’s doing, my personal economy is improving every single day, with robust prosperous expectations for my future.”

Jerry

Your Last Chance For Success!

You’ve Got 2 Hours To End Ultimatums!

The Longman online dictionary defines Ultimatum as: ‘a threat saying that if someone does not do what you want by a particular time, you will do something to punish them.’ The recent debt ceiling debate was an example of ultimatums run amok, and neither side was ennobled by the rhetoric.

I’ve always hated ultimatums and usually refuse to respond to them. It is a bullying tactic–”You do what I want when I want you to do it or else.” But the most insidious and annoying example out there in today’s online culture is the marketing ultimatum. And it greatly diminishes those who use it, and mildly diminishes anyone who responds positively to such an approach.

So I am suggesting an Ultimatum On Ultimatums. And two hours seems reasonable to me, but you are welcome to make up your own deadline. Here is my personal pledge, which you are free to borrow, modify, use in any way that serves you. “From now on, I will not respond to any ultimatum given me by anyone trying to talk me into or sell me or enroll me in anything.”

One thing we often see online is perhaps the most egregious use of the ultimatum, the phony deadline. This is the ploy whereby someone says an offer is absolutely going to end in one week and you will miss your opportunity forever if you don’t take advantage before that deadline. This is almost always a blatant lie. Usually, the marketing “genius” behind this campaign has already prepared the extension to the ultimatum before its first appearance. A particularly annoying form of this is the pop-up window that appears when you attempt to leave a web page or marketing email. You know the one I mean, that says something like, “Before you leave this page, here’s an even better discount if you respond right now.” And then you are almost forced to read the copy in the window to figure out how to get rid of the damn thing.

You’re right, I am being rigid in my prejudice against this practice. I find it condescending in the extreme, as if the person giving the ultimatum thinks I am too stupid to take advantage of a really interesting or beneficial or useful offer without the threat of it being withdrawn by a specific time–in other words, without an “or else.”

Let’s face it, if someone is trying to sell you something with an ultimatum attached, do you really think it’s possible they will have taken their marbles and gone home if you come back to them one day past the deadline and offer to buy their product or service?

There are, of course, some legitimate deadlines in marketing. These are usually found, however, more in retail sales than online. They often involve companies or stores having to get rid of merchandise to make room for new inventory, and are always date specific. These deadlines are usually firm, except for the fraudulent “going out of business” sales that drag on for months and sometimes years. One store in Times Square in bygone years had a GOING OUT OF BUSINESS! banner flying for over forty years.

I recently had a deadline for the Moneylove Club audio subscription series. I offered a substantial discount for three weeks, to be cut off on a specific date. And it was cut off on that date.  One of the reasons I did not extend the offer is my basic commitment: I will say what I am going to do and then do it. It’s about personal integrity and self respect. In a time and culture of less and less people sticking to their word, honoring their commitments and promises, I want to stand out. And a very simple way to do this is, again, saying what I am going to do and then actually doing it.

Not that I want to become too rigid, or be in a place where I stick to something that just isn’t working. But I think in our fast-paced, short-attention-span environment, there is much value and much to be gained by being persistent, consistent, and resistant to wishy-washy flip-flopping. And this is particularly true now that our leaders have abandoned their position as role models in this area.

So I am giving you two hours to eliminate ultimatums from your life, or else. Or else you will no longer be allowed to read this blog.  See how silly it can get?

Jerry

The Success Stretch

Dreaming the Impossible Dream

There are two areas in which I think it’s essential that we stretch beyond our belief systems and comfort zones. One is what we ask for, the other is what we go for.

For many years I have talked about the fact that you rarely will find anyone offering you $100,000 when you are asking for $50,000–whether we’re talking about a salary, or a price for something you are selling. Though some members of the Moneylove Club have told me they think it’s worth a lot more than $47 a month, not one of them has sent me a check for two or three times that amount. It’s just not in human nature to enjoy paying more for something than the advertised price. I think we need to have this in mind when we ask for what we want.

I have also talked about the fact that many people order short. This is often true for women in relationships, who are afraid to ask their man for what they truly want, whether it’s out of fear he won’t give it, or a belief that they don’t deserve it, or that they just have developed the habit of settling for less. Men do this in areas other than relationships.

I think it’s important to aspire to something you feel it is unlikely you will actually get or achieve. Knowing how unlikely it is to have a national bestseller as an author, I nonetheless always visualized myself being on that NY Times list when I wrote a book. And I’m still doing it as I am working on my next book. Limited imagination always shuts down possibilities. The exceptional people in this world, the peak performers, always stretch beyond not only what is expected of them, but what they can realistically expect for themselves. Limited thinking hardly ever produces unlimited results.

Your Name In Lights

One of my fondest memories is arriving at a theatre in Louisville, Kentucky where I was presenting a Moneylove Seminar back in the 1980s, and there was my name in bright lights on the theatre marquee! I’m sure most people passing that theatre hadn’t the foggiest notion of who I was, or what I was doing, but it nevertheless had a major impact on me. An interesting exercise you might explore is to picture your own name up on a marquee, and then write the next line in your mind (or you can even design it on paper or on your computer). What exactly would you be doing or offering that you would want to put up on that theatre sign to attract people?

Of course, that negative little voice of yours, the one Zen masters call “monkey mind,” is probably already chattering away about how you are not talented enough, or deserving enough, or successful enough, or young and beautiful and rich enough to deserve your name up in lights. But if that voice gets too strong, do a reality check and examine some lists, like the ones TIME puts out on the 100 most influential or most promising people in the world. A lot of them didn’t start out with all those advantages, and most of them had to do a lot of success stretching well beyond their comfort zones to get where they are today.

My Own “Possible” Dream

Ever since I saw solo performance stars Rick Reynolds and Spalding Gray twenty-some years ago, I’ve had the aspiration to do a one man show, incorporating humor and hopefully inspiring and entertaining segments from my varied life experiences. This seemed pretty farfetched as an aspiration when I came out of prison broke and looking to put my life back together. But then, because my dear friend Bonnie Weiss took me to a show at The Marsh Theatre in San Francisco for my birthday earlier this year, I discovered this amazing venue, probably the best ever for the development, nurturing, and presenting of solo performance. I signed up for a class with one of their star performers and directors, Charlie Varon. Rather than covering my entire life, we decided that my first effort should be focused on my prison experience, told with humor as well as revealing a lot of what people don’t know or suspect about  prison. I am now aspiring to have my one man show presented at a theatre in New York by the Fall of 2012. Another farfetched stretch. But, on the other hand, I know I have a story to tell that fascinates many people. This is also going to be the theme of my upcoming prison memoir, a book that will be much easier to write as I co-create my theatre piece.

As a motivational/inspirational speaker and author, I am always looking to the events in my life in terms of what lessons they contain that I can pass on to others. One that I think my prison adventure strongly reconfirmed for me is how rich an internal life we can create when our external world is crumbling or simply not giving us what we want. People seeing the initial workshop presentations of my solo performance seem to find that aspect impactful, thought-provoking, and inspiriting. Part of my theatrical aspiration therefore includes my telling people, once I actually have my name up in lights, how I accomplished it despite the obstacles, despite it being at the very least, an unlikely if not impossible dream.

This is one of the great satisfactions in my life, and I felt it keenly years ago, when I would tell aspiring authors how I had my first book accepted for publication just a few weeks after submitting it to one of the world’s most respected and successful publishing houses, Doubleday. I cannot count the number of people who told me not to expect too much, how hard it was to get published, how it took years to accomplish this. And one of many lessons I learned for myself (and the best lessons are always those we learn for ourselves) was that even failing to achieve something that seems beyond the possible is a lot better than achieving less than you really want. And, of course, we can also fail at what seems much more likely. How terrible is that?–to try for the modest or mediocre success and still not make it–Yuck! There are times when I have gone for the big win and fell just short of victory–but the knowledge that I gave it my all, that I went beyond the complacent and comfortable, greatly diminished the disappointment and accelerated the recovery.

The bottom line is:  I think it’s vital for each of us to have at least one thing we are going for in our lives that is possible but not very probable to achieve. Chances are it’s much more likely than you or the naysayers around you believe.

Jerry

Prosperity Gains With Edwene Gaines

One Of The True Masters Of Prosperity

I first met Edwene Gaines some twenty-five years ago, and was immediately impressed with  her joyous fun-filled way of presenting prosperity truths in a spiritual context. She was (and is still) a hilarious speaker, charismatic and authentic–and one of those rare prosperity teachers I always try to find as mentors and role models who are more about feeding other people’s prosperity consciousness rather than seeking their own fame or wealth.

I’m looking forward to having an in-depth prosperity dialogue with the prosperity master and Unity minister in a few weeks for one of my monthly Moneylove Club audios. We were both featured in a video on Prosperity in the mid-1980s. I was approached by the producer and asked if I could suggest who else might be a good addition to the one hour presentation. I recommended my friend, Mark Victor Hansen, and Edwene.

I had the pleasure of reconnecting with her yesterday, when she conducted the service at Unity San Francisco and did an afternoon workshop as well. Since I was planning to share some of what she had to say with some close friends, I thought I might as well do so right here.

A Prosperity Pioneer

Long before, The Secret, and the current avalanche of material on the Law of Attraction, Edwene Gaines was talking about how attitude and consciousness affect one’s financial success. But she also always underscored that prosperity was about more than just money–that it was about good health, and good relationships, and doing creatively fulfilling work you loved, plus having all the money you could spend for what you really wanted. In other words, she and I have very aligned views on the subject. I like  what she said at the beginning of her talk:

When any of us puts our intention out there, and we make a 100% commitment to that intention, and we make every step a step of impeccability, a step of integrity–then somehow the universe opens up a way where before there was no way.

What Edwene teaches is the importance of intention coupled with practice to put that intention into action.

Every single one of us has everything it takes to begin today to live our lives at that level where they work all the time,  in every area–all it takes is a conscious intention.

Do you have any doubt that living by these universal principles would result in your life being better in every way possible?

And then Edwene Gaines said something strongly in character for her. Something that got a big laugh, but you could also almost hear the audience’s minds clicking into place as they realized how true and powerful her closing quote from an American icon actually was.  Think a bit on it yourself and see if you don’t agree:

I want to close with a teaching given to us by one of my favorite modern day mystics, Mario Andretti:  ’If everything seems under control, you’re not going nearly fast enough.’

After my upcoming conversation with Edwene Gaines, in addition to the audio for our members, I’ll have some more quotes and ideas from her to share with my blog readers.

Jerry

Extreme MEism As A Poverty Paradigm

Solipsism As The Ultimate Narcissistic Philosophy

I only discovered this word that rolls off the tongue about ten years ago–and like many such events, it triggered a deluge of appearances of the word in all its forms in the magazines I read and TV shows I watched. Suddenly, “solipsism” and “solipsistic” were all over the place. This is probably understandable as we move more and more from the “Me Decade” to the “Only Me Decade.” The first was in the 1970s, when the label was used to describe not only the self-absorption of many, but also what I see as the positive movement toward self improvement, so that maybe a more apt title would have been, “The Work-On-Me Decade.” A lot of the fringe movements of those days, like yoga, meditation, personal lifestyle coaches, Tai Chi, and feng shui have become part of the mainstream culture–and this is all to the good. But there still is a propensity toward self-absorption, solipsism if you will.

The dictionary definition of “solipsism” is:  the philosophy that one’s self is the only thing that can be proven to exist, and therefore is the only thing that matters. Believing that your self is the only thing that can be known and verified leads to certain behavior. And I think this kind of behavior leads to poverty consciousness. It’s about going it alone, trying to get to that top of the heap where you are all-powerful and all alone. Now this can sometimes lead to some success, there are certainly a lot of examples of that. However, the truly prosperous, in terms of achieving not only financial success but all the other good stuff like love and creative satisfaction and leaving a positive thumbprint on the world, they see others as equally important to themselves.

The two richest men in America, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, are prime examples of anti-solipsism and maximum prosperity consciousness. They not only made billions for themselves, but took a lot of people along for their rides to major wealth. They created hundreds of millionaires, and even a few billionaires. It’s also why both of them are optimistic about our future, rather than always declaring or predicting doom and gloom.

A Solipsist Cannot Be Truly Successful

I tend to agree with the definition of success by my friend, Dr. Maria Nemeth, author of The Energy Of Money, that it is “To do what I say I will do consistently, with clarity, focus, ease, and grace.” By it’s very nature, solipsism cannot accommodate or coexist with this kind of commitment. If you believe you are the only entity that truly exists, you would have no reason to tell someone else what you were going to do and then follow through by actually doing it. Solipsism leads to profound arrogance in the spiritual, political, entertainment and corporate worlds.  When you have millions hanging on your every word, it is hard to believe anyone else’s words are valuable or worth listening to.

Politicians are often guilty of this, especially those who self-righteously declare they know what’s best for all the rest of us. I believe that if Barack Obama does not win in 2012, it won’t be so much the economy, which all conventional wisdom is suggesting, but rather because of his unfortunate tendency to scold even members of his own party. Whatever his motives or intentions, it has the appearance of pettiness and solipsism. I also think this is what lost Jimmy Carter his bid for a second term. Remember his “malaise” speech? He came across as the scolding father, and Americans just don’t like that tone. I think it far overshadowed any dissatisfaction with his handling of the Iran hostage crisis. Really smart people, in terms of emotional intelligence, know that constantly reminding people how smart you are just doesn’t work, if you want their support, cooperation, or love and respect.

My personal pet peeve about solipsism is that it leads people to be consistently late, or just not show up. If you believe you are the only worthwhile person on the planet, you will have little or no concern about disappointing people who are waiting for you to show up. You may even choose to not show up at all. I know all the excuses for being late or not showing up, but in decades of my life as a pretty laid-back, self-indulgent, even lazy person–I have never once been late for or not shown up for an appointment or assignment. Now, I may have had an advantage here, in that when I started in radio at the age of nineteen, my boss told me simply that if I were late for my own show, I would find someone sitting at the microphone instead of me, and they might just turn out to be better at it. That got my attention and a lifelong habit of dependability and punctuality was created. I intend to be on time and show up, and therefore I am and I do. Neither rain nor sleet nor dead of night shall deter me in this. And non-solipsist that I am, I truly believe we are all capable of this kind of intentional commitment.

Jerry, The All-Powerful (just kidding, honest!)

They Call The Coach Maria

The Coach’s Coach On Our Voice of Wisdom

Almost exactly a year ago, I featured a prosperity dialogue on the Moneylove Club audio with Dr. Maria Nemeth, author of The Energy of Money and Mastering Life’s Energies. I had attended a workshop with Maria and was very impressed with her perspectives on prosperity consciousness. For many years, she was a clinical psychologist, and then dealing with her own money issues transformed her into a Master Certified Coach, and one who has trained many other successful life coaches.  She founded the Academy for Coaching Excellence in Sacramento, CA, and you can find out a lot more by Googling her name, including some delightful videos.

Just today, Dr. Nemeth spoke at Unity SF, where she will be presenting a weekend workshop at the end of this month on Mastering Life’s Energies. Talking about the Voice of Wisdom she says we all have, she not only demonstrated her dynamic personal charisma and forceful commitment to essential truths, but presented some ideas with the power to transform lives in just twenty minutes. We spent some time chatting, and what I notice about her, that I don’t often notice in prosperity teachers out there claiming to show people how to be millionaires, is that even in a free talk for a very short amount of time, she is totally present and totally and passionately committed to making a difference in people’s lives, rather than just inflating her own ego and bank account.

What Maria Nemeth had to say about the Voice of Wisdom is that it is an inner voice we all have and we need to learn to pay attention to what it is telling us. She puts a lot of emphasis on focusing our energy, and I love her comment:

You and I are known in life by that upon which we focus.

I’m still very impressed with Maria’s definition of success:  Doing what you say you’re going to do in life, consistent with clarity, ease, focus, and grace.

She asks the same question of audiences all around the world, from India to Israel, “Would it be okay with you if life got easier?”  It’s a great question for all of us to ponder.  She also puts a lot of emphasis, as she did in our audio discussion, on the word “willing.” She says:

“Willing” is the ability to say “Yes” no matter what your doubts and fears.

Maria Nemeth’s message is often simple, but always more substance than fluff. How more plain-speaking can anyone be than in her definition of “focus.”

Learning to put attention and energy where it will do the most good.

Simple, yes, but profoundly so. And I’m sure I wasn’t the only one in her audience this morning who asked myself, “Am I putting my attention and energy where it will do the most good?” A master teacher and coach, to my mind, is someone who inspires you to ask penetrating questions of yourself, who gets you to interact in active debate with your voice of wisdom, who breaks it down into what is essential, valuable, doable, and winnable.

I’m pleased to consider Maria a friend, colleague, and mentor. I’ve often talked and written about the importance of making good (make that great!) choices in the company you keep. And the importance of having people around you from whom you can learn important lessons and gain powerful wisdom. How can I go wrong with someone who says something like:

If we continue down this path, we’re liable to end up where we’re headed.

Thanks, Coach, now I feel even more ready to play a winning game.

Jerry

Prosperity-Mouthing

It’s Time For A New Prosperity Consciousness Paradigm

“Paradigm” has certainly been an overused term in recent decades, describing all sorts of patterns and models of behavior and concepts. One of the most disturbing models in recent months comes from what I like to call the “anti-prosperity pundits.” These are often media types with partisan agendas using scare tactics predicting financial doom.

Now there is no doubt we are currently facing some major economic challenges. But the way to overcome any obstacle or challenge is not to whine, “Woe is me.” Of course this form of poor-mouthing goes back to the Old Testament and one of its oldest books, The Book of Job:

Job 10:15: If I be wicked, woe unto me; and if I be righteous, yet will I not lift up my head. I am full of confusion; therefore see thou mine affliction;

Poor-mouthing is a plea for sympathy, and usually refers to claiming one is less financially successful than the truth in the form of an audit would reveal. I see it a lot in coaching clients to become more prosperity conscious, and reflected in the email questions I get from Moneylove Club members.

Coming back from my own financial oblivion, which I describe in the appendix of the Moneylove Manifesto, available in a free download on this page, and which is still a work in progress, I am even more aware of the need to switch from poor-mouthing to prosperity-mouthing. I notice that many people seem to relish declaring they are poorer than they really are. Time after time, someone complains to me about how badly they are doing, and then I find out they own substantial property, or have a house worth more than any money owed on it, or have major credit available. If you can go out and borrow $10,000 or more right now, you are in better financial shape than most people in the world–by far. Credit is an asset, and should come with bragging rights: “Wow! I can borrow whatever I need because financial institutions find me trustworthy and believe in my financial future.”

If you listen to politicians and much of the “glass-is-half-empty” media, it would be pretty hard to have an optimistic view of your own prosperity potential. Unless you counter this by starting your own program of Prosperity-Mouthing.

“Cash Talk” Instead of Trash Talk and Crash Talk

As we approach the July 4th holiday, here’s my personal Declaration of Independence from any bad economic news, speculations, and doom scenarios:

I just had my best income producing month in 15 years!

Now, I am hardly all the way back in my comeback, but I am doing better this month than last, and better this year than last–and it doesn’t matter how small or large that improvement is. Like the U.S. economy, it is trending in the right direction. You can find all sorts of negative stories and headlines out there today, a veritable cornucopia of poor-mouthing. But with the slightest of efforts in the right direction, you can also find a treasure trove of positive news. I just checked this out by going online, and right away I found one of the most encouraging stories I could imagine on the U.S. economy, involving the city I considered my home for ten years, Miami, Florida.

The huge, cash rich Malaysia-based Genting Berhad. one of the world’s largest casino operators, has just placed a bet on the future of Miami as a global economic center with a $3 billion investment in resort/casino projects. And casino gambling outside of Seminole Indian operations isn’t even legal in Florida at this moment! All over the world, people with lots of cash are placing large amounts of it in U.S. investments. Sadly, they have more faith in our economy than we often seem to. If I had surplus cash right now, I would be exploring some Miami possibilities, as I happen to agree with this Asian corporate giant’s optimistic outlook for that city.  I guarantee you Miami’s movers and shakers aren’t gong around moaning, “Woe is me.”

Back during the Great Depression of the 1930s, our culture was filled with positive music and movies and books that helped people cope with all the negative news. And all comparisons with today’s difficulties are ludicrous. With all the built-in safety nets, and much, much lower unemployment rates, and much, much higher universal standards of living, we are living in amazing abundance today. But because so many people seem to take great joy in poor-mouthing, perhaps it’s time to have more of those rags-to-riches movies, and songs like “We’re In The Money.” In fact, the next Moneylove Club audio is going to focus on that song’s lyrics and three other positive songs that can affect our prosperity consciousness and set us on a path to prosperity-mouthing on a regular basis.

And if you’ll excuse my getting biblical on you again, let’s replace that “Woe is me,” energy with some “Blessed am I,” instead.

Jerry