How to Use a Little Money to Create a lot of Joy

We are living abundant lives. I hope we call all let ourselves see that a little more.

Economists will tell you that the economy expands according to the FLOW of energy (money). In other words, energy (money) isn't "in" or "out" of the economy. The economy ebbs and flows proportionally to the flow of energy (money).

It's no wonder now that many of us are feeling anxious to get moving again. The beautiful strength within each of us to go after what we want and see it come to fruition (our personal ability to manifest) has not disappeared! We just need to remember to step back into the flow, rather than stand on the banks of the river, mistrusting its speed. Don't you remember that you were just IN that same river, enjoying the flow, and knowing it would carry you to wherever you want to go?

And, how do we do that? There are things in our lives right now that could use our appreciation, love, uplifting, or positive reinforcement, and when those needs are met, confidence in our abundance will return. We need to restore our confidence in what we have to give.

Start by telling yourself to re-focus on what you do have. "What if all I have is a dollar? In quarters!?" you ask.

In what way could a dollar in quarters make you feel rich? Try this:

Go to a fruit stand on your lunch break or on your way to work and buy an apple (at some carts in New York, $1.00 might even get you two apples!). Take it up to the kitchen, slice it, and arrange the slices on a plate. Then walk around the office, and start offering your colleagues a slice. Just see what happens! Notice how you feel as you bring a fresh new taste full of energy and life to the people you work with - who are probably accustomed to the taste of stale croissants and machine coffee.

"I don't even have an office to work in right now!" you say. What about using facebook as a way of creating a place of having to "virtually" show up each day, and share with your colleagues. It's a fantastic place to create a persona, because you can add things when you are in the best mood to do so. And here's a way to use facebook (or, okay, the good, old-fashioned cellular telephone) to REALLY get some energy flowing:

Find someone who you KNOW has wanted to work with you - who admires your expertise - and OFFER your services to them. Ask them if there is a way for you to help them jump-start any area of THEIR business. Notice how it feels to come from a place of knowledge and experience. Give your service to them for the joy of being of service - or ask them to barter with you in a way that will bolster your energy as well. Remember - the point is to allow yourself to see what you HAVE. And the best way to see that, is to have it reflected by someone who needs you.

"I know I have money, but it just feels so much tighter right now." Rather than get stuck in the feeling of "tightness," focus on how much more you are doing for the world in keeping the energy moving. Maybe there are artists and small business owners whose services could make your life easier, while at the same time feeding their work-flow and income. Have you been putting off a project? Why not support a smaller company NOW, to get your own juices flowing and make progress on your needs? Smaller companies THRIVE with just a little new business! As we support entrepreneurs, we are creating more flow for everyone.

Finally, take inventory. Count your proverbial blessings. Ask yourself, "Do I have natural talents I'm not expressing right now?" What are they? Begin, gently, to wonder ... "How could I begin to allow these talents to go out into the world? What difference could I make if I really began to let the real me shine?"

It simply isn't possible to feel lack and abundance at the same time, and when you are creating abundance for others, you are innately contacting your own abundance. When you allow yourself to focus on what you have to give, you are inherently focusing on what you have.

What will the world not have unless you bring it?

For me, it's about not being afraid to dust off old gifts and bring them back to light. Many of you know, that before my photography business, I was a freelance writer - consulting on screenplays, writing content for the All Media Guide, writing press releases for the People's Choice Awards, and more. Now, as I encourage you all to expand your natural gifts, I will once again include writing in the skill-set I advertise.

In the spirit of giving voice to what's inside an individual, I have created a free introductory call, True Voice: How to Begin to Hear it. This call is perfect for writers, for experts who want to be writers, or for people who just wish they were better able to express themselves through writing. It's also a great resource for developing a habit of expressing your individuality - getting your real self out into the world through the use of your words!

You are officially invited to take part in True Voice: How to begin to Hear it. On the call, we will complete an exercise that will get you tuned into your inner inspiration, and get words flowing that express the real you!

In this course, I will be helping unpublished experts to articulate their methodology and accelerate their business by showing them how to identify and utilize their own powerful written voice.

Please feel free to email me with any questions about the Writing from Your True Voice course at sarah[at]sarahsloboda.com.

To access a free recording of the call that took place on March 3, 2009, please click here.

New Year's Intentions

The term "New Year's Resolutions," has been used for a long time, and recently, I have noticed that people are shying away from it. I told my friends I was setting "New Year's Intentions" this year, and they liked that better than "resolutions." That made me wonder a little bit...

Because resolution - coming from the word resolve - seems to carry more weight, actually. If you resolve to do something, nothing will stop you from doing it. You will do whatever it takes. So, if we really want to reach our goal, why the repulsion to the word resolution? Is it that we feel we have failed in the past to do what we supposedly resolved to do? Or, have we learned that even though we may think we know exactly what to do, sometimes life surprises us by making it more difficult than we imagined - or even, impossible to achieve it the way we originally thought?

Maybe enough of us are starting to see that in life, you can't always force things. By making the statement gentler, and simply intending to do something, it feels more like leaning in the direction of the desired outcome, and leaving room for it to manifest at its own pace, and in its own way.

It also leaves room for the unknown, for magic, for serendipity, for cosmic orchestration. It makes life seem bigger and more vast - it helps us tap into a grander sense of existence. It leaves room for a random phone call from a person you never would have expected, for things to fall into place more easily than you even dared to hope.

It opens us up to what we probably already know - that we really don't do anything on our own. All kinds of situations and people and pre-existing conditions help funnel the life we want to us. And if we're smart, we'll set our intentions to leverage the power of these other forces to work collectively with our own efforts - rather than creating a resolution to do something our own way no matter what.

I have set some ambitious financial intentions this year, and I know it's going to stretch me beyond what I now know about myself in order to be able to achieve them. I know if I simply "resolved" to accomplish them from where I am now, I may not have the will, the knowledge, or the endurance to persevere when I inevitably come up against areas of challenge for me. So, I am intending to reach these financial goals - knowing that I don't know everything about how I'll reach them - and so gently forcing myself to be open to new information, and help from places as magical as my own psyche, as dull as a textbook, from obvious things, and esoteric things - simply knowing that being open to receiving from wherever it comes, will be the only way to be sure not to miss my real lesson.

Because, quite frankly, who knows what that will turn out to be. All I really want, deep in my heart, is to grow.