Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we were ALL rich? Our problems would all be solved! All our needs would be met and then some. We’d have everything we wanted, the house, the car, the latest gadgets, and finally, we could all take a collective sigh and relax. We could start being kind to each other. Would that be the answer? Unfortunately, those dreams are further out of reach with the post-pandemic (are we out of the woods yet?) world economic outlook showing signs of well, bleakness. Over the last few years, we’ve all had an opportunity (for those who took it) to do some soul searching and look within to question our relentless drive for more. Is there another way to live our lives? Perhaps there is! Can we learn to FEEL rich now? Here are five steps to feel rich NOW.
- Choose your mindset
- Learn the flavours of a good life
- Review your money story
- Take care of what you have
- Feel gratitude
In her book, the soul of money, Lynne Twist, a global visionary committed to alleviating poverty and ending world hunger, challenges us to examine our beliefs. She explains that the mindset of scarcity leads to the thinking patterns of, not enough, fighting for what is ours, and accepting poor behaviour because “that’s just the way it is.” The other side of the coin is the mindset of sufficiency and the belief that we have enough, plenty for everyone, and we thrive from cooperation and collaboration. Her work has led her to the most inhospitable, impoverished areas around the globe and the wealthiest asset-rich people on the planet.
Her experiences revealed that those communities with the least material resources suffer from hunger and meeting their basic needs, yet they have an abundance of creativity, resourcefulness, and soulfulness. On the other hand, some wealthy donors are impoverished in their souls, uncertain how to connect with who they really are.
Both versions of pain are authentic and valid. Lynne connects the two worlds through her work for a collaborative healing experience. From her perspective, there are no “haves and have-nots”. There are only people with different types of resources available to them. She challenges us to move from a lack or scarcity mindset to a mindset of sufficiency, valuing and cherishing what we have and knowing what is enough. With sufficiency, the surprising truth is when we focus on enough, we are met by the universe with what we need and more! What do you have in your life that is sufficient, and how does changing your focus from not enough to sufficient change the way you see things?
Learn the flavours of a good life
We all want to be happy; the experience of happiness means positive emotions and security. We want the comfort that money will bring us; knowing your needs are met allows you to rest and relax. But are there more ways to be rich that we haven’t explored?
Scientists have researched and identified two additional measures of a good life beyond happiness: psychological richness and meaning. While a happy life includes comfort, joy, money, time and relationships resulting in satisfaction, a meaningful life has significance, purpose, religion and social contribution giving life a sense of meaning.
The psychologically rich life included variety, intent, curiosity, time, energy and wisdom. Resulting in a psychologically rich life experience. We want to be happy and rich because we crave comfort and stability, but in our quest for comfort, are we overlooking the richness of experiences and challenges that contribute to the tapestry of our lives? Are there other areas of richness in your life right now?
Review your money story
Money is the language we use to communicate value, and to have true holistic wealth; we need to master that language. The personal narrative we tell ourselves about money is our ‘money story’, which determines how we view money and interact with money.
Your money story started when you were young and has likely been handed down for generations. This story comprises our thoughts, beliefs and feelings about money and impacts our financial behaviours. If you were taught that money was a negative force, the root of all evil, then uncovering these negative beliefs is a decisive step in gaining the right mindset to embrace abundance.
Grab your journal and answer the following questions to begin to rewrite your money story.
Inner work (questions from the Money Autobiography, by Karen McCall)
- What were your earliest memories of money?
- Were you given an allowance growing up?
- What was your experience, being paid, not being paid?
- How old were you when you started to earn money?
- What did you do?
- How was money handled in your family?
- Was there any emotional trauma towards money?
- What was your biggest fear around money when you were younger?
- What do you CURRENTLY believe about MONEY? (Truthfully)
- What belief about MONEY would SERVE you better?
Take care of what you have.
Can you see the value in what you have right now? Look around at all the abundance and RICHness that exists in your environment. The value of something does come from how much it costs, it also comes from how you treat it.
You can buy $20 sunglasses and keep them in excellent condition for years, or buy $700 designer shades and trash it within a week. Which one is more valuable, the ‘cheap’ pair in good condition or the expensive pair with scratches and bent rims? Value is about your perspective.
What do you have that you can take better care of? Taking care of your possessions and home (no matter how shabby) shows that you value yourself enough to make your space match your self-worth.
Feel Rich Now with Gratitude
Gratitude is the fail-proof way to embrace the mindset of sufficiency. Taking time every day to appreciate what you already have will fill you up in those places that think they need to chase more stuff!
Get into nature and observe the incredible abundance on display; there is always enough in nature. What about your loving relationships and your family? Or those topics that fascinate you? Moreover, you can feel rich with an empty bank account when you shift your focus onto what you do have right now.
Then, maybe you can trust what will come to you. After all, you’re here, so the universe has come through for you before.
Thank the universe for always delivering what you need in the past, present, and future. Thank your body for all it does and the life experiences that help you grow and become a stronger person. Focus on what is good in your life!
