Monday, September 11, 2006

Dollars and Sense!

80% of lottery winners in the United States file bankruptcy within 5 years.

Soak that in for a moment. 80%! Jack Canfield cited this fact in his book, The Success Principles before he went on to introduce a theory that completely changed how I thought about money. I hope it has the same effect on you and your own self limiting beliefs.

According to Jack's theory, those lottery winners became accustomed to having a certain amount of money. Have you ever gotten a big bonus from work only to blow it on a lot of expensive clothes, a car, some new gadget? You, too, were accustomed to a certain level of prosperity. We settle into a financial comfort zone.

For some, having a few thousand dollars in the bank is enough of a cushion. If that number jumps significantly in any direction, they adjust their lifestyle to return to their comfort zone. Be it spending or saving, we try hard not to stray from what we have become accustomed to.

If you can step outside of your own perspective, you can see that someone who has $50,000 in the bank can be just as comfortable living as someone who has $50,000 in debt. Each of those people are comfortable with their status because they have learned to live that way. Each lives in a way to maintain that standard.

Someone who doesn't have money is most likely uncomfortable driving through a rich neighborhood, or going to a fancy restaurant since it is such a stretch for them to do so. Their brains send messages of "I don't deserve to be here, I don't feel welcome here, I don't fit in here." Someone who has money probably doesn't think twice because they are so used to experiencing such wealth.

Those who have money will pinch, save and cut back in order to maintain a wealthy status if they've taken some sort of blow monetarily. Building reserves back up to that comfortable level becomes a serious goal. So why aren't we all rich?

We limit ourselves with our beliefs. Our silent messages rule what we feel we "deserve." Instead of stretching our monetary boundaries to experience a richer side of life, we would prefer to keep things the way they are. So...we blow our savings and repeat the same old stories in our heads. We also surround ourselves with others who can reinforce this "normal" income in our lives.

Jack Canfield had a boss and mentor who asked him to set a goal higher than he thought he could achieve. He set a goal to make $100,000 the next year. It took him five years to take that goal seriously, but once he did, he made $92,000. He used action, motivation and positive affirmation to remind himself of his goal and to work toward achieving it. Every year since then, he's made over a million. How's that for pushing boundaries?

Where is your comfort zone? How willing are you to stretch? If you're like me, you've begun making excuses: "Jack Canfield already had a name for himself to be able to reach such a goal. I bet he didn't have debt to pay off first. I'm married. I have children. I have a steady job." Whatever your story, let it go for the time being. Play with this principle. See what happens.

Pick any number that seems like "too" much in your head. Write it down, put a future date next to it and get to work. Just see what happens, see what doors open up for you, follow the flow of inspiration that begins. Begin to get comfortable with that number and revisit it every day. More than once if you can.

Dream big and expect more of yourself. You've made it happen before and your inner power for success is even greater than you are aware of. Stretch what you know and ask for what you want, even if it seems rediculous. Live with intent.

Create your reality,
Coach Katie