It's finally here!!! 

Halloween!!!

Today Sarah takes the time to remind us that there is magic all around us.

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I believe Halloween is the perfect reminder that 

Magic flows through us, [and] mystery infuses 

every encounter of the day. 

We conjure up the shoe that cannot be found anywhere in the house, transform leftovers into a feast, coax bounty from barren earth, banish fear, heal hurts, make money stretch till the end of the month. 

We carry, cradle, nurture, and sustain life. 

We do all this and much more.

But most women are not aware of their tremendous power for good.

We are asleep to our Divinity...

Isn't magic what you're performing when you create an authentic lifestyle for yourself and those you love? Aren't you shaping unseen forces with your creativity and soulcrafts, bringing into the physical world through passion what has only existed in the spiritual realm? If you can do this unconsciously, how much more could you accomplish if you were fully aware of your powers? 

O daughter...much power has been gifted you.

It is the power of Love. 

Tonight by candlelight or by the light of the full moon in your backyard, commit to use your power wisely for the Highest Good of all. 

You have no idea of the countless lives you touch in the course of your lifetime.

Souls searching for Wholeness that could be healed with the magic at your command...

 End Quote

I will always dress up. 

No matter how old I am. 

I hope you'll do the same.

It's quite magical.

 Have fun and be safe tonight!

***

Gratitude Journal

***

1) My mother-in-law was able to watch the kids for me this morning.

2) I loved helping in Jacob's class. The kids thought I was an elf... Jacob and I had fun earth bending and air bending, and the other kids just laughed.

 

 3) Candy tax.

4) Spending quality time one on one with Jacob.

5) Nap. I didn't want to take my hair and makeup off to lay down, but I needed a nap, so I decided to risk it. And there is not one hair out of place, because I'm magic.

October 30th - Money Magnet

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The path to personal wealth is 

regular saving and sharing, 

controlling expenditures, 

living debt free, 

increasing prosperity through prudent investment, 

protecting the bulk of your wealth from loss, 

owning property, 

establishing a future income for old age,

and increasing the ability to earn money through perseverance. 

During the late 1920s and the Depression years of the 1930s,

many banks and large insurance companies distributed free pamphlets explaining these ancient laws of thrift and personal wealth through parables written by George S. Clason. 

In 1955 a collection of them was published as 

The Richest Man in Babylon, becoming an inspirational classic...

[Here's some history for you.]

 

The first of the Babylonian secrets for achieving personal wealth was to "Start thy purse to fattening." This is accomplished by taking a part of all one earned - not less than ten percent - and claiming it as one's own. 

This money was kept in a purse usually worn at the waist.

The purpose of the purse wasn't simply to save money

but to act as a money magnet,

endowing its owner with a sense of financial serenity as it grew fatter.

 When the purpose of the purse became too heavy to wear, some of the money could be transferred to a larger savings chest and used for lending, trading, acquiring property, and making investments. 

But a portion of the money remained in the purse to attract more. 

Babylon's richest always kept a fat purse close by 

as physical proof of their prosperity. 

[Fortunately you don't have to keep it at your waist for everyone to see.]

 

Creating a money magnet is a fabulous psychological ploy to jump-start a sense of financial serenity if you're worried about money. A money magnet is not a savings account; it's in addition to the money you deposit in your savings account. You keep your money magnet close at hand so that you can see your prosperity - touch it or count it as often as you like. You need some money that is completely yours, which is why the existence of your money magnet is to be kept secret. It's not intended to pay the pizza delivery boy.

A symbolic money magnet that's a personal favorite is to carry a hidden $100 bill in addition to whatever money I think I need when I go out. The reason for this is that, no matter what happens, I'll always have $100 to spend as I wish or for emergencies. But it must be a $100 bill, not merely $100. You'll spend $100, but you'll rarely break a $100 bill. (At least I won't.) This way you always feel abundant without spending money. 

It's a terrific reconditioning tool to teach us that 

abundance must occur in our minds 

before it can manifest itself in our lives.

End Quote

Okay! I guess I need to go to the bank and get a hundred dollar bill. 

I guess we'll see if it really works.

***

Gratitude Journal

*** 

1) Easy and quiet days when I'm not feeling well.

2) Robbie helping so much around the house.

3) Tomorrow is Halloween! I'm glad it's finally here!

4) A washer and dryer, and doing laundry in the middle of the night so costumes can be clean for tomorrow.

5) Books. Our books have been out in the garage since we moved here, because we haven't had a bookshelf and the kids have just now started to respect books and not tear them apart. Robbie got all 6 boxes of books out so we can switch them out, and now I have some new books until our bookshelf is built. Thank goodness for new reading material. Well, not new. I've read them all, but it's been a long time.

October 29th - Tithing

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Another step toward financial serenity is taking on a "Silent Partner" with a vested interest in your prosperity.

This is done through tithing... 

When you tithe, you acknowledge and honor the true Source of your supply. Tithing is an ancient spiritual tradition and a universal prosperity law used by the great wealthy civilizations...to ensure abundance. 

Unless you were raised in a spiritual tradition that honors tithing, such as Judaism and Mormanism, you may be unfamiliar with the practice and uncertain about what it involves...

Spiritual law, no matter which path, tells us as we give, so shall we receive. We realize that money is a form of energy. Energy does not increase if it's hoarded. Energy must circulate freely for power to be released. When we receive an increase of money in our lives, giving away a portion of that money keeps the channels of abundance circulating freely, as Spirit intended. 

On a practical level, tithing allows us to express our thanksgiving with action...

Tithing will make you more magnetic to money, whether you believe it or not...When I tithe, I experience more financial serenity than when I don't. The money seems to stretch further or my expenses diminish. When I tithe I'm able to save more with ease, and new moneymaking opportunities arrive, often unsolicited. The floodgates of heaven do shower me with blessings...

When I don't tithe, I'm not struck down, but I do start to worry about money. There seem to be longer stretches between bank deposits and more unexpected expenses, which always end up costing me more than the amount my tithe would have been. So I know it's time to write a check. 

Wait and watch what happens. 

Very quickly, the ebb recedes and the flow begins again.

Coincidence?

[I think not.]

Some people say if you don't have much money to spare, it's just as good to tithe your time or goods. It's been my discovery that when I tithe time, I receive more time. When I tithe goods, I receive gifts...

When we're in great financial straits, we think we can't afford to tithe. 

But when our financial needs are great, can we afford NOT to try tithing? 

End Quote

I bear my testimony that tithing has always been a blessing in my life. I have always paid it, even when it was dimes because of a few dollars I made when I was a kid. Tithing has never been a difficult commandment for me to keep, it's easy for me to understand that all of my blessings come from God and if all he asks for is 10% of my earnings then I will happily give it. 

Whoa! You might say, 10%? Yeah, on the gross, before taxes. 

If you've never paid tithing you might think "How in the world am I supposed to live then?"... don't just take my word for it, but I promise you it's worth it. 

Also, I know where my tithing money is going, and that no one is paid in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for their service so it's not going to some one's personal pockets. 

I have always been blessed with what I need, 

and sometimes when we look at the budget we do the math and say

"I know we're not stupid, we can do simple math, we should not have saved all that we did..." and I know it's because we pay our tithing and God is blessing us.

And what a great time to have this day on tithing, 

since tithing settlement is upon us!

If you don't know where to tithe, check out some charities and make sure you know where your money is going. 

A good charity is the Perpetual Education Fund.

Also, if you're still confused about this whole finance thing, 

the church has some great self reliance stuff, and there's a link to the perpetual education fund on the left.

***

Gratitude Journal

***

1) Halloween is almost over. Halloween is a little difficult with three toddlers.

2) Musicals.

3) Actually getting to church on time.

4) Family history! I'm actually starting to do it!

5) Left overs...means no cooking.

October 28th - Financial Security vs Serenity

Robbie and I have always had money in common.

We have always kept a budget and over our seven years our budget has improved immensely and also our ability and self control to stick to the budget.

The only time we did not feel financially secure was when we bought our first house. We decided to buy a house because we had enough money in the bank to put down a large percentage and the mortgage on our home was only $200 more expensive then the rent we were paying for our apartment. The first time you buy a house no one tells you about the extra $5,000 in closing costs...so by the time everything was done we had almost no money in the bank, which did not make us or the bank very happy. We had to borrow some money from Robbie's parents just to make the bank happy so everything could go through, and of course we paid them back in a few months. 

It was crazy to see our bank account plummet like that, and it took a while to build it back up. But even through that time of not feeling financially secure, we didn't worry and we never had a lack of financial serenity. We didn't worry because we both had jobs and we knew how to budget, live within our means, and save. We saw the fruits of living this way, we were able to buy a house and we had financial serenity. I'd call that a win.

Start Quote

Financial security is never having to worry about money again

because you've accumulated all you'll ever need.

In today's uncertain economic climate 

- when the only thing we can expect is the unexpected - 

how long do you think it will take for us to accomplish this? 

[Let me tell you...it's probably never going to happen.]

Financial serenity is never having to worry about money again because you've discovered the [truth]... We can begin to experience it today regardless of our economic condition.

Financial serenity starts when we accept as our truth that money is a state of mind and that abundance is a state of belief. When we choose abundance, we become rich in the Real. We attain true wealth. Of course, money is part of personal wealth, but so is love, inner peace, harmony, beauty, joy, perfect health, authentic expression, discovering your bliss, pursuing your passions, fulfilling your Divine destiny...

There are certain actions we can take to increase our wealth.

The first is choosing to live on less than we earn, 

so that we can save and share more. 

Many of us want savings accounts in theory, but psychologically resist them. That's because we associate savings with deprivation instead of gratification. For in order to save we must do without something else. What we don't consider is that having a savings account enables us eventually to experience authentic satisfaction instead of the cheap imitation of instant gratification.

The way to start saving money on a regular basis is to 

think of it as a positive choice, one that affirms your abundance....

Your savings is a "positive affirmation that 

you have more than you need at the moment."

-Creating Money

End Quote 

 Start saving what you can. 

If it's new to you, put $5 into your account from every paycheck. 

Then after that gets comfortable try $10, etc etc. 

Savings are also amazing for rainy days, like when your car decides to die or you end up in the hospital or you get fired and can't find work for a month or two. 

Try to work your way up to three months 

of living expenses, and then six months. 

And don't forget retirement...

Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

You'll be glad you did.

A good old fashioned pickle jar is good too for coins and spare bills for a project. I think that's the only way I'm going to get my command center in my kitchen...the problem is that the last few months I've been spending my spare cash on immediate gratification buys, and not the long term goals...

Just keep trying, and it'll all work out.

***

Gratitude Journal

***

1) I told you how awesome my friend is yesterday, right? Well I don't think I told you that she washed my dog. Yep, you read that right. She washed my dog. Now that's true love.

2) Date night. It felt so good to get out without the kids and be a couple.

3) Food, such good food! We haven't been to Black Angus in forever, and when I saw the coupon in the paper at the beginning of the month I wanted to go! That molasses bread, the spinach artichoke dip, the salad, the shrimp, the chocolate chip cookie and ice cream...oh, my, goodness...I was literally in heaven it was that good. 

4) Robbie and his dad. We have been super blessed with awesome parents, and Robbie's dad today continued his tradition of being awesome. He came over and helped Robbie finish tinting the front of the house! They worked from 8-1 or something like that, and I'm so grateful they did. The house is already cooler, and now the syn lawn hopefully won't get charred to a crisp again. Thank you thank you thank you to these men who work so hard on our home and save us so much money because they can do it themselves.

5) My parents took Riley for the weekend, and she waved to us as they left like a princess. It was the most adorable thing ever! I'm so grateful for our parents. They are too good to us.

 

October 27th - But I Want It

We all know that feeling.

That green monster inside that all of a sudden 

escapes from her locked cage and screams 

"But I want it!" 

Not unlike my toddlers when they want something they can't have. 

Maurice Sendak said 

"There must be more to life than having everything."

Sarah says that there is, but your material girl doesn't know that.

Start Quote

About this time of the year the shopper from hell reappears, 

and she's hungry. 

Be careful, she can undermine every bit of progress 

you've made on this path...

Even if you're experiencing "less is more" contentment, 

the world is putting on the Ritz and it's hard not to be 

dazzled by all that's displayed...

Attempts at deprivation or reason...are fruitless.

But there is a savvy way to quiet the wants. 

Don't deny them.

Indulge them.

Revel in your wants.
Exult in extravagance.

Surrender to them.

Let yourself go.

Don't worry. I've not lost my senses, but found them.

You can as well, and you won't have to spend a cent.

Here's how: collect those mail-order catalogs each day, but don't quickly flip through them. Wait until you can enjoy shopping slowly. Circle in red everything that captures your material girl's fancy. Don't let price influence you...

Go on a shopping spree on paper. 

Visualize wearing that elegant cashmere blazer, sitting down in that gorgeous chair, putting on that gold necklace, entertaining with those beautiful dishes. 

Mentally claim them as your own. 

Tell yourself "I can have that."...

Then after the holidays are over, peruse your catalogs again. 

See if the wants are still there. Maybe you were given a gift that satisfied the yearning. Maybe your original favorite has gone on sale. 

But don't be surprised if you're no longer interested. 

Why? 

Because you satisfied the material girl. 

You fed her wants with attention. 

You didn't ignore, dismiss, or deprive her. 

You told her she cold have anything she wanted. 

But all she really wants is to hear you give her permission...

We quiet out wants when we acknowledge them...

Honor your desires by winnowing them out, 

so that all that remain are authentic. 

End Quote

I think our material girl comes in many different forms. 

I think one is the pinterest girl, or the perfect photo girl, etc etc.

It's hard to admit, but my monster came out today.

It said "I wish that our family picture had turned out a little better."

It's hard to admit, and it's hard to not shove her back down into her cage and tell her to keep her mouth shut and be grateful that your friend was there to take your picture.

But I'm going to try Sarah's advice, because gosh darn it keeping the material girl locked away does not work. Keeping her locked away means I go on shopping sprees and spend too much money and am still not satisfied. 

Keeping her locked away just sucks. 

Okay photo girl...you can want a better picture.  

It's okay. 

Maybe if I stop treating her like a monster she'll stop acting like one.

Maybe if I start treating her as a part of me, we'll be able to get along better. 

What do you know, I already feel better just by acknowledging that's it's okay that I want the picture to look better.

Crazy.

***

Gratitude Journal

***

1) I thought I was coming out of my depression wave, and it's only now that I'm seeing that I'm not. But that's okay, because the wave can't last forever.

2) My friend. So my kids demanded that their friend come over, and so she dropped everything and came and spent the afternoon with us. She helped me do my hair and saved me from some terrible mistakes, and totally helped keep my kids from driving me nuts. She's wonderful, and I'm grateful she's come into my life.

3) Costumes. The kids absolutely loved them. All night Jacob was shouting "I'm Avatar Aang!" And I had to keep reminding Chase that he was a warrior, so he could fight off the kids in the scary costumes. And Riley just clung to Nana...

 We asked them to strike a pose, and this is what we got.

 I caught Chase holding Jacob and Riley. Of course Riley shrugged him off before I could get a picture of the three of them. 

4) Friends. 

 

5) Face paint and makeup...they make everything more awesome.

October 26th - Spending

I've always believed this.
I've always thought if I just had more money,

that I'd be able to do all the things in life I wanted to do.  

But I've learned that the trick is to

 live how you want to live on what you've got.

 

Start Quote

 Without a doubt, we'd all be darling millionaires.

We know that money can't buy happiness, 

but we also know where to shop.

The problem for many of us is that 

too often we act as if we're already millionaires. 

"Acting as if" is a very powerful psychological tool 

to help us make positive life changes. 

We act as if we're confident and we become so. 

We act as if we're clean and sober and we stay so. 

We act as if we're serene and we 

experience more moments of calm in our daily round. 

"Acting as if" can improve the quality of our lives enormously, 

with one exception: spending money. 

You can't act as if you have all the 

money in the world if you don't. 

You can't spend money as if there were no tomorrow

if you can't cover the check, pay off the charge card bill monthly 

or barely make your minimum.

As far as paying for your pleasure is concerned, 

tomorrow always arrives in a white envelope

 at the end of the month...

[There's spenders and savers, but there is a happy middle ground.]

Taking the middle path of money

- Simple Abundance -

is really taking the best from both approaches;

extravagance and asceticism.

Extravagance offers gratification and a feeling of abundance.

Asceticism endows simplicity and a sense of security. 

Simple abundance offers it all.

 

One of the greatest gifts my husband has ever given me is the ability to think before I spend. This is how savers behave. Savers don't get a high from recreational shopping. Savers don't shop in order to make themselves feel better. Savers have seen many sales they can walk away from. Should they have to spend money, savers will ask, "Do I really want this? Do I really need this? Can I do without this? Where can I find this 50 percent off?" Like naturally thin people who don't eat when they're not hungry, savers don't spend if they don't have to.  And they certainly never squander money. Savers put aside for rainy days, which is why they don't panic when the roof starts leaking.

An interesting eye-opener is to discover how much money you've earned in your lifetime...You will be astounded at how much money has passed through your hands. It's even possible that you've seen several million dollars come and go.

This comes as no surprise to Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin, authors of  

Your Money or Your Life, a guide to achieving financial independence by transforming your relationship to money.

"Money is something we choose to trade our life energy for.

Our life energy is our allotment of time here on earth, 

the hours of precious life available to us...

it is limited and irretrievable...our choices about how we use it 

express the meaning and purpose of our time here on earth."

It's amazing how this enlightened definition of money

can alter the shopping experience. 

Is that $90 blouse really worth six hours of your life? 

This week, keep track of your every expenditure, be it large or small, routine or one-time-only, for services rendered or for actual purchases, 

and whether it's made with cash, check, or credit card...

At the end of the week...list your expenditures under these headings: 

Necessities, Comforts, Wants, Indulgences, Extravagances, Insanity.

How much life energy did you spend?

Was it worth it?

What expenditures make you sigh?

With happy recollection or with regret?

Now look at the choices that make you feel uncomfortable.

What could you have passed up without a sense of deprivation kicking in? Now take that amount and multiply it by fifty-two. I'd be willing to bet that the total amounts to a nice chunk of change that could have been saved either for an authentic want that would thrill you or for a peace-of-mind savings investment. And you probably wouldn't even have missed it...

Today, be willing to gently explore your life-energy expenditures. 

Don't blame yourself for bad choices.

Do attempt to make better ones.

Most of our problems in handling money stem from unexamined patterns 

rather than from uncontrollable urges. 

End Quote

 In short, make a budget.

*** 

Gratitude Journal

***

1) Finally finishing those costumes yesterday meant I had so much more time today. All of a sudden it seemed I had all the time in the world, I cleaned up my craft room so I could actually do a craft.

 Ta da! Bats. Pretty, sparkly, bats. It'll only be up for a few days, but I'm okay with that.

2) Robbie was home at 5 today. After two weeks of late nights, I was so grateful to have him home.

3) Dave Ramsey, and parents who taught me to not spend more then I made and to think before I buy.

4) Debt free. The only debt we have is the mortgage, which to me seems normal...but according to statistics a lot of people have a lot more debt than that. I'm very grateful.

5) My Shark vacuum. It's amazing. 

October 25th - Paying The Bills

Sometimes bills suck. 

It hurts to write that mortgage check 

knowing that so little goes to the principle.

When we had two car payments?

That was awful.

Oh, when we were paying for healthcare

through the nose...it was literally an arm and a leg.

But we pay them,

because we like having a roof over our heads,

we like having freedom of transportation,

and we like being able to go to the doctor if we need to.

Start Quote

[If you put off paying your bills 

you're] setting in motion a cycle of misery. 

Bill paying becomes a painful issue,  

releasing toxic emotions that keep us locked in lack.

Of course we're not trying to stiff anybody.

All we're trying to do is make ends meet,

which seems to get harder each week.

And then when the ends don't meet, we panic...

If money doesn't make the world go round, 

"services rendered" certainly does.

We can pay for those services more serenely, 

even when we're strapped, 

by remembering that all financial transactions 

really boil down to an exchange of energy. 

Someone provides us with energy in the form of 

heat, light, food, gas, clothing, shelter, the ability to speak to others 

over airwaves, or watch movies from the comfort of our couches. 

We reciprocate by paying for those services 

through energy in the form of money...

We can keep a constant flow of money in our daily round 

through giving with love and paying what we owe with gratitude. 

Once, in a flush season when I had 

no reason to worry about money,

I created a ritual for paying bills.

At the beginning and the middle of each month, 

I would set aside a half hour to quietly, 

consciously settle my accounts. 

I'd clear my desktop, leaving only my 

bills, checkbook, calculator, envelopes, and stamps in view. 

As I worked, I'd play soft, soothing music, and sip a lovely 

cup of tea, and pay loving attention to what I was doing. 

As a result, I actually began to enjoy the experience.

When leaner times arrived, I still relied on the 

power of ritual to keep me positive. 

If I was feeling frightened, I would retrieve the memories 

of when I paid bills with ease, recalling the positive feelings 

of plenty: well-being, peace, security, freedom. 

Since our subconscious minds cannot distinguish between 

reality and fantasy, I would begin to relax. 

Even if my reality was not set during a season of plenty, 

I gradually came to know contentment in the season of enough....

"Guard me against the arrogance of privilege, 

against the indulgence of feeling 

that I don't have enough,

and the poverty of spirit that refuses to 

acknowledge what is daily given me,"

Gunilla Norris writes in...Being Home.

"Keep me truthful in knowing where I spend, 

where my values actually are.

Let me not skip this monthly knowing.

Instruct me in judicious spending 

and in gratitude with no holds barred."

End Quote

Robbie and I love mint, and it's free!

We keep every receipt and know 

exactly what we spend and where.

Mint helps us stay aware of where we are, 

and it's nice to check when I'm out shopping 

and I forget how much I have in a certain budget.

Our goal is to look at it daily, because if you do 

a little every day then it only takes a minute. 

I'd rather not spend a half hour at the beginning of the month 

and the middle, because for me that half hour turns into an hour. 

Our ritual is to do it together.

Now I've been having a rough time with my depression 

and anxiety, and so I avoid things that cause me to stress, 

like looking at the budget. Robbie has been so good as to 

keep up on it every day, since it only takes a minute, and 

I look at it on good days, but it's a team effort. 

Your budget and bill paying should be done together. 

You're a team aren't you? 

If bills cause you stress, try Sarah's ritual or make one of your own. 

And try to think of it as an exchange of energy, not as a burden.

If you change the way you think, 

you'll change the world around you. 

We've got bills to pay, 

we've got mouths to feed,

there ain't nothin in this world for free. 

Name that tune.

***

Gratitude Journal

***

1) The last episode of season 3 of White Collar. Robbie had spoiled it for me because he started watching ahead and I've been playing catch up, but he did not prepare me for the emotions. I love when a story gets you so caught up that it actually makes you feel something, as if these characters were real, as if it is or could happen to you. So good.

2) I finished the costumes. Just don't look to closely...I finished with Robbie's last and by then I was so done I got a little sloppy. I don't think I've ever cut it this close to Halloween before. I was all prepared with the fabric at the beginning of the year, but then I just kept putting off actually making them until the beginning of October...procrastination, even if unintentional, sucks. I'm glad they're done! Now I can't wait to wear them!

3) We woke up to Jacob vomiting and having diarrhea, not pretty. But I'm very grateful: all the poop went in the toilet, and the vomit in a shirt. And we were only woken up at 5:55am, that's not too terrible. 

4) I'm grateful that Jacob is feeling better. I don't think it's a bug, no fever and no more vomit. I'm hoping something just didn't agree with him and he can stop pooping his underwear tomorrow. I finally put him in a pull-up, and he went through 5 when I wasn't looking. He told me he didn't pee in them, but I'm pretty sure it was him. I don't get toddlers sometimes, I do not see the appeal to wetting yourself.

5) Robbie. He was super dad today. Both boys got up, I took Chase and he took Jacob. I laid back in bed because I thought Jacob was okay, well he wasn't. After he was done with the toilet Robbie went to put him back to bed, and that's when I heard the awful retching sound that makes you jump out of bed as if the house is on fire. I get to the bathroom, and Robbie is pulling the shirt off his back so Jacob has something to retch into. I think he just earned dad of the year for that one. 

October 24th - Worrying About Money

"Concern should drive us into action 

and not into a depression."

-Karen Horney

Worrying never did anyone any good.

Start Quote

Worrying about money never paid a bill.

 If it did, at least there'd be a 

legitimate reason for indulging in worry.

Actually, worrying about money repels,

rather than attracts, prosperity

- not exactly what we had in mind.

Worrying about money sends toxic signals:

fear, lack, deprivation.

When your subconscious mind 

continually receives negative impulses,

it duplicates in your daily round

whatever it was instructed to manifest,

such as fear, lack, deprivation.

Don't panic.

Every little thought you've ever had doesn't instantly materialize.

Thank God.

The results of our thinking can take years to appear in our lives,

but as a woman thinketh, so doth she experience...

Love is the most powerful positive emotion in existence.

Love attracts. 

As [you sow], so [shall you reap]...

 [So don't sow worry.]

[But] thinking about money [even in a positive way]

every minute of every day until the millennium 

isn't how I choose to live. 

But what are the alternatives to worry?

First,

calculate whether you have enough money 

for all your needs TODAY.

[That means make a budget!]

If you do, stop focusing on lack this minute...

Anytime you have more than you need,

you have abundance.

Catch yourself the next time you start 

dwelling on what you don't have;  

switch tracks by noticing and appreciating all you do have.

As this becomes a personal habit, 

you'll find yourself coping well with 

any amount of money you have, 

rather than worrying about it.

Worry is a future-tense emotion.

Worry is a projection of a possible

 - not necessarily probable - scenario.

Will there be enough?

Where will it come from?

How long will it last?...

Instead of worrying, consider what 

ACTIONS you could take to create money. 

"Ask yourself, 'How can I 

CREATE money today?'

There is an enormous difference in the 

energy you send out to the universe when you focus on 

CREATING money rather than NEEDING money..." 

- Creating Money: Keys to Abundance 

Transforming every "What will I do?"

into "What CAN I do?"

fuels your fiscal creativity, 

restoring a sense of peace as you pursue prosperity. 

"Constant worry about money 

blocks your creativity and clear thinking," 

Roman and Packer remind us. 

"When you have very little money, 

you are learning many lessons that will 

make it easier to handle money when it comes. 

To break through this level, you may need to 

keep your life simple and uncomplicated in terms of 

money, expenses, demands and needs. 

Think of yourself as the rose bush that is cut back in the winter 

so that it may grow strong in the spring."

End Quote

This is one thing that I will never understand about 

those who cry for more government aid.

I appreciate help given when help is needed, 

for goodness sake our family needed WIC for almost a year

and Robbie and I both used FAFSA to finish our last few semesters of college.

But I also know that individuals 

create more wealth with less waste 

than the government does.  

At least, smart individuals who are wise with their money.

Let me tell you from my personal experience,

I am very grateful for the financial help and 

that we live in a country that is so giving. 

 But we did not get out of "poverty" because of the help.

We got out of "poverty" because Robbie worked his butt off

and improved his skills and knowledge and made himself 

a valuable asset to the company, so much so that 

often times it seems they can't function without him. 

He has decreased waste and increased their profits, 

and that's why they pay him "the big bucks". 

And because we live within our means.

You can not blame the world for your troubles. 

You can not expect to live a middle class life

working a minimum wage job. 

If you want to make more money, 

you have to figure out how to create it,

legally.

Hopefully that doesn't mean taking money from someone else

and creating even more laws and taxes to do so. 

If you haven't noticed, I'm pretty conservative,

and I'm pretty much an objectivist. 

Politics and politicians aside, I dislike all of them in all parties.

Please also consider how many rich people you know...

in my experience, they worked smarter and harder.

And I'm not talking crony capitalism,

I'm talking about the honest to God American Dream. 

Anyways, long story short,

don't worry. 

It won't help a bit.

***

Gratitude Journal

***

1) Learning lessons. Do not run into doors. I repeat, DO NOT RUN INTO DOORS. Not fun. Do you see the welt on my eyebrow? Ouch.

2) Dinner with a friend, and our kids playing together.

3) I'm almost done with Halloween costumes. I'm so grateful and excited.

4) I'm grateful for my cute kids. Seeing them smile at me and knowing that they love me and I love them, it's the best thing in the world.

5) I'm so grateful for my whole house fan and these cool fall nights. Now if the days could just be cool as well, that would be nice...but you know, I'm grateful for what we do have.