Prosperity is a spiritual state

Economists think of prosperity as money in the bank and how much we consume, but this is not the full picture. Why? Because it is not necessarily those with the most money who feel the most prosperous! We can own lots of things and feel poor; we can own little and feel blessed. It’s hard to feel prosperous if we crave more.

To be prosperous means having an abundance of good so we may live a full, satisfying life. We are prosperous to the degree that we experience peace, health, love, happiness and plenty in our world.

Every area of our life can prosper when we become more spiritually aware. We see the world as fundamentally a place of abundance. We lose our fear of lack. Above all, we work on our consciousness, knowing that thought precedes manifestation and that when we develop inner prosperity, outer prosperity is ours too.

The feel-good factor in prosperity then comes from being of service, having a clear conscience and having a constructive attitude towards the results.

Prosperity is a state of consciousness

Prosperity is a way of living, being and thinking:

  • Every visible thing has an invisible source (the waves and particles that make up the quantum world, often portrayed as ‘Spirit’)
  • Behind every physical thing is the idea of that thing
  • We influence the process by which the invisible takes form
  • Every thought, every action is a cause set in motion and produces effects after its kind

To bring what you need from the quantum world into the material world, first, build the consciousness for what you desire; and second, put in the work to make it happen.

We are co-creators

What you desire already exists in the quantum world; it’s just a question of bringing it into manifestation. For example, if you need a job, there’s a perfect position for you even before you set out to look for it. If you desire a new home, the perfect place is there waiting for you to find it. The perfect partner is there too, waiting to make your acquaintance.

The universe offers the means to actualise your ideas, but it can do no more for you than it can do through you. It’s up to you to work with the resources you have to make it a reality. It takes faith and persistence to turn an idea into material form. Open your mind, strengthen your determination and self-belief and take action.

What’s blocking your prosperity?

When our needs are not met, this is usually an indication that we are being blocked by something in our minds, usually attitudes and beliefs that guide our behaviour. If there are obstacles, remove them. Return to first principles: focus your mind on what you desire, lay down the right causes and trust the process of life to take care of the details.

Your prosperity thermostat

Your beliefs about prosperity are like a thermostat that regulates the central heating. Set the thermostat high, and the system maintains that temperature. Set it low, and it switches itself off as soon as that point has been reached. Where have you set your prosperity thermostat? Is it high enough? Turn it up!

If you don’t feel you deserve to be prosperous you are like a thermostat set low. Don’t underestimate your worth. Don’t sell yourself short and don’t feel guilty about what you have (guilt is another form of resistance that repels prosperity). Not one other person would be worse off merely because you are prosperous, unless you have behaved dishonourably.

Focus on the higher qualities of what you wish to manifest

When you wish to manifest something or someone into your life, focus not only on the object or situation, but also on the higher qualities it will bring. Think about how you will share your good fortune with others, the peace of mind and prosperity you can generate for them.

What are you thinking and doing to be prosperous?

Is prosperity a problem for you? Are you struggling financially? Do you lack the resources to do everything you wish? Then ask yourself, ‘What am I thinking and doing to create this situation? What do I need to change?’

If you need more practical help, my book, ‘365 Ways to be Your Own Life Coach’ is full of ideas for finding your purpose, setting goals, making an action plan and putting it into practice.

©David Lawrence Preston, 2.12.2016

Facebook and Twitter

Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @David_L_Preston

365 Spirituality book

How to Books, 2007

 

Ten prosperity principles

  1. You have something to offer – and others are willing to pay you for it (in cash or kind)

What can you offer? As you share your knowledge and skills, you also expand the consciousness of the recipient. All it takes is a little insight and self-belief. Many people have a great deal to offer but lack the confidence to do anything with it.

  1. Do what you enjoy and offer it with love

Put your heart and soul into what you do. If you are passionate about what you do, and serve a constructive purpose, prosperity flows automatically. If you work only for the money, you will never be truly prosperous.

Author, Dr Wayne Dyer said: ‘’Forget about you and all the things you’re going to get out of what you’re doing. Simply go out, head in the direction of your dreams, live your own kind of life, and success will chase after you and arrive in amounts greater than you can anticipate.’ It works for me!

  1. Everyone you meet can help you

When you have a prosperity consciousness, you attract the people you need into your life, but it isn’t always obvious when you’ve found the right person. Listen carefully to others and be receptive to their ideas. You never know when, or from whom, you’ll learn something useful.

  1. Be aware of supply and demand

Supply and demand is a basic law of economics. Find a need which is not being met. There are innumerable opportunities because everyone has needs and wants to be met, for which they are willing to pay.

Ask yourself, ‘How can I serve others?’ With a positive attitude and a prosperity consciousness, you will spot opportunities that others miss.

  1. Don’t sell yourself short

Many capable individuals settle for less than they could have, not realising that their own expectations play a big part in their future. If you value yourself and expect the best, that’s what you’ll get. Think small, and your prosperity will shrink to match your thoughts.

  1. Invest, save, spend and give wisely

Invest, save, spend and give your money wisely. Don’t be mean-spirited, neither squander what you have. When you spend money wisely, you attract more which you can use for your own benefit and that of others.

  1. Don’t agonize over losing your wealth

Truly prosperous people don’t dwell on the risks of losing their wealth. You don’t imagine Scrooge as a prosperous man, do you? Many wealthy people have been bankrupt several times, but picked themselves up and started all over again. They understand that one has to take a measured risk, and if it doesn’t work out, with the right consciousness one can start again.

Real security lies only within you – the skills, knowledge and personal qualities which you have developed. Material acquisitions can be won and lost, but your inner wealth cannot be destroyed.

When things are going badly, e.g. during recession, it is always tempting to blame the economic climate or the government, but many businesses thrive at these times.

8.  The Law of Giving

Give freely, with no thought of return. Make it a habit. It doesn’t have to be material – give whatever helps others. Give of yourself – a favour, a smile, a kind word. Then forget it – don’t wait around for the payoff.

When you give, good things always return to you. Not necessarily immediately, or from the same person, or in the same form. Life itself repays you in all sorts of ways. Tithing – regularly giving away a fixed proportion of your earnings to good causes – is based on this principle.

The principle which underlies all prosperity is this: you become prosperous by helping other people to get what they want. Or, to put it another way, to create prosperity for yourself, help others create theirs.

  1. Be willing to receive

Many people, for one reason or another, feel guilty about receiving. It doesn’t feel right; they’re more comfortable giving. If someone gives to them, they worry about it until they’ve repaid the ‘debt’. However, giving without receiving interrupts the flow of wealth – there can’t be a giver without a receiver. If you don’t allow others to give to you, you are indirectly denying them the opportunity to build their own prosperity.

  1. An ‘attitude of gratitude’

We’re often so caught up in what we haven’t got we don’t appreciate what we have. We have so much to be grateful for. If you’re reading this you’re probably well fed, adequately clothed and have a roof over your head. You have access to health care, education, transport and entertainment. Many people don’t.

Gratitude for what we already have attracts more. Never envy others or make comparisons. Be grateful for the prosperity of others and imagine yourself equally blessed. This adds to your own feelings of abundance.

A final thought on prosperity

At the end of your life, will it matter how much money you have in your account, compared to the riches available to you right now – of love, beauty, happiness and fulfillment?

©David Lawrence Preston, 9.6.2016

Facebook and Twitter

Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @David_L_Preston

365 Spirituality book

How to Books, 2007

A Spiritual Take on Prosperity

We live in a money-obsessed world.

In his autobiography Nelson Mandela recalls some advice he received from a wealthy businessman when he was training to be a lawyer. ‘Look out there, Nelson,’ he said. ‘Do you see those men and women scurrying up and down the street? What is it they are working for so feverishly? I’ll tell you: all of them, without exception, are after wealth and money, because wealth and money equal happiness… Once you have enough cash, there is nothing else you will want in life.’

I once met a Christian minister who taught that money is a reward for good deeds. To be spiritual, he said, is to be financially wealthy too, because it means you’re contributing greatly to society. Conversely to be poor is to be unspiritual because you’re not contributing very much.

But this doesn’t add up. When Mahatma Gandhi died, all he left was his spectacles, a toothbrush, an old spinning wheel and a couple of loincloths. Mother Theresa’s entire worldly possessions consisted of two sets of clothes, one to wear, one in the wash. Yet both travelled the world, and no airline, hotel or restaurant dared to charge them because they considered it an honour to serve them. Were they spiritual? You decide.

The Latin root of the word ‘prosperity’ means ‘fortunate’. Some who merely have pots of money do not meet this definition. Unhappiness and petty acts of meanness are legion among the rich and famous.

Prosperity only exists when an individual has a good feeling about what they have.

The Greek philosopher, Epicurus, studied happiness. He found that people who start with nothing get happier as their material resources increase until they reach a point where their basic needs are met, then the ‘happiness curve’ flattens off. Additional money and ‘stuff’ makes little difference to level of happiness.

E.F. Schumacher, author of ‘Small Is Beautiful’, said that our aim should be the maximum wellbeing with the minimum of consumption. In his seminal chapter ‘Buddhist Economics’ he took clothing as an example. How many garments do you need? Why stress yourself filling a wardrobe with clothes you hardly wear? The most economically efficient approach would be for everyone to have warmth, comfort and an attractive appearance with the minimum toil and least use of natural resources. Yet economists measure the standard of living by how much is consumed and governments are elected on this basis!

The secret of prosperity

The secret of prosperity is to cultivate a prosperity consciousness.

Have you noticed how some people are always happy with what they have no matter what their circumstances? These people live in the moment. They know their needs and wants will be satisfied through their own efforts, now and in the future.

Lack of prosperity is usually a symptom of a more fundamental problem. Money is all around us like the air we breathe. The problem is, just as some people have asthma and cannot breathe freely, some people have a problem with their thinking which restricts their ability to attract the things they want into their lives. If you hold negative beliefs about prosperity and worry about money, you are suffering from poverty consciousness.

  • Do you believe that it is right for you to be prosperous?
  • Do you feel resentful towards others who have more than you?

All of us have something to offer that others need and value. So give. Give freely. Give whatever will genuinely serve others. If you have little money, give of yourself – a smile, a few kind words. When you give, you attract good things. If you want more love, give love; more friends, give friendship; more happiness, make others happy. Practise spontaneous acts of kindness and generosity and your prosperity will grow.

However, it’s not the giving that brings spiritual rewards, it’s the consciousness with which you give. If you give only to get back in return, you are giving from a consciousness of selfishness and you will attract the consequences of selfishness (yours and others’).

Be willing to receive too, and don’t feel guilty. If you don’t allow others to give to you, you are denying them the opportunity to increase their own prosperity.

  • When you have no further use for something, give it away.
  • Make full use of your talents. Find what you love doing, put your heart and soul into it, and as long as it benefits others as well as yourself prosperity will flow in your direction. It has to.
  • Be sincere in your thankfulness for what you have. You have so much to be grateful for.
  • Never envy others, and never make comparisons.

Focus your mind on what you can contribute rather than the financial rewards – if you are motivated only by money you will always feel poor. When you reach the end of your life, will it matter how much money you have in the bank? Isn’t it better to focus on the riches of love and happiness available to you right now?

©David Lawrence Preston, 16.5.2016

Facebook and Twitter

Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @David_L_Preston

365 Spirituality book

 

 

 

 

Napolean Hill’s 12 Things That Make People Rich

I’m a huge admirer of Dr Napolean Hill, author of ‘Think and Grow Rich’ and ‘Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude’ and other titles in the 1930s, 40s and 50s. The principles he identified are as relevant today as ever. Every great achiever has applied them, consciously or unconsciously, in many areas of activity, not just business.

I didn’t always feel this way. When I first encountered ‘Think and Grow Rich’ at a student seminar in the 1980s, I thought this was just another work extolling greed as a virtue at whatever cost (we had a British Prime Minister in those days who did just that). It is far from that. Certainly he based his findings on a study of America’s  richest men and gave many examples of men (and yes, in ‘Think and Grow Rich’ it was always men) who made a great deal of money. But he also pointed out the consequences of mishandling it.

Of course some of the examples he used are of their time and conjure up an image of the American sales rep in old black and white movies trudging from door to door in pursuit of his next sale. But life moves on, and timeless principles remain timeless.

When you read carefully, listen to his sound recordings and watch many of the clips of him on YouTube, you quickly realise that Napolean Hill’s definition of ‘riches’ went far beyond the pecuniary kind.

Here’s Napolean Hill’s list of 12 things that make us ‘rich’ in the broadest and most meaningful sense of the term:

1. A positive mental attitude

There’s just no getting away from this, it’s the key to all health, happiness and success, and it can be acquired through proper self-training.

2. Sound physical health

Worth some effort (good diet, exercise, relaxation etc.) don’t you think? It’s hard to feel good if your health is poor.

3. Harmony in human relations

Few people enjoy a happy life if they don’t get on with others and, again, most of the skills required can be learned and practised.

4. Freedom from fear

Fear is the great restrainer and demotivator, and at the root of all negative emotions.

5. The hope of future achievement

We live in the ‘now’, spurred on by the hope that our efforts will come to fruition if we persevere.

6. The capacity for applied faith

‘Faith’ in this context does not mean religious faith, but an ongoing sense of trust that if we apply the principles diligently our efforts will be rewarded.

7. Willingness to share one’s blessings with others

The Law of Attraction dictates that when we act from a consciousness of selfishness we attract the consequences of selfishness (our own and other people’s); and when we share what we have with no thought of return, others share with us too.

8. To be engaged in a labour of love

Like writing these blogs, for instance.

9. An open mind on all subjects towards all people

This requires non-judgement of others, empathy and a willingness to listen, all skills that can be developed.

10. Complete self-discipline

I suspect this is where most of us fall down. Self-discipline demand commitment, delayed gratification and good habits of thought, word and action.

11. Wisdom with which to understand people

Wisdom requires much more than knowledge, it is discernment, and comes mainly with experience and knowledge intelligently applied.

12. Financial security

Financial security is an attitude of mind – that we have enough for our needs, enough to treat ourselves, plus a little extra for a rainy day. Contrary to the popular impression, Napolean Hill listed financial security at no. 12, because it is not so much the aim but the consequence of the other eleven.

So there we have it, not so much a formula for riches, but for happiness, peace of mind and contentment.

Why not go through this list and honestly appraise your current state of being against each criterion? Then consider what you can do to improve (or rectify) any of the criteria where you feel lacking. You’ll find it very instructive.

 

©David Lawrence Preston, 9.5.2016

Facebook and Twitter

Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @David_L_Preston

Visit www.feelinggoodallthetime.com