Embrace Prosperity

When you believe in scarcity you often feel compelled to do things to make sure that nothing challenges your comfortable beliefs. You may even sabotage your wealth, your work, your relationships and your health by making choices that are not in your best interest. You don’t do what you know how to do, or you keep doing something that causes problems.

Carolyn kept working hard to earn money she didn’t need, even though she wanted to retire, and her rational mind knew she had enough to be comfortable for the rest of her life.

Elaine’s income had dropped drastically. In a money workshop she admitted that she had not changed her strategy for attracting clients in years, even though it no longer worked.

What’s the Difference between Imagination and Reality?

Laurie: In 1984, my ignorance about scarcity and abundance nearly cost me my marriage and my business. My husband and I had been working together for about 12 years when we stumbled into producing a workshop taught by a money guru.

After several years of excitement and overwork I recognized that something was wrong. The numbers didn’t work—and they really didn’t. The workshop we were working so hard to produce was NOT making money. It was being subsidized by my other hard work.

I complained and was told I had a bad attitude. I did. I was viewing the situation from a valid perspective of scarcity of resources AND a belief system, a fantasy, that stopped me from seeing beyond that limiting perspective.

I “just knew” that I was right to stop supporting the workshop, and reached my conclusion based on that certainty rather than seeking other options.

Fast Forward Seven Years

In 2001, after I had spent much of the previous decade trying to make sense of my own relationship to money and abundance, I sent this email to other members of the fledging professional coaching community.

Financial sabotage

I am interested in exploring how to help people be more responsible about money issues in their lives. Often, they know what to do to take better care of themselves financially, but do not act on their information. I am currently collecting stories about how people sabotage their financial lives. If you have a story, or even a one liner, will you share it with me?