When we use the term prosperity, a lot of people immediately think of money. However, there are many other concepts that come under the auspices of prosperity, such as: time, love, success, comfort, beauty, knowledge, relationships, health, and, of course, money.
If you are always feeling rushed because there isn't enough time to do everything you want, then you have lack of time. If you feel that success is beyond your reach, then you are not going to get it. If you feel life is burdensome and strenuous, then you will always feel uncomfortable. If you think you don't know very much, and you're too dumb to figure things out, you will never feel connected to the wisdom of the Universe. If you feel a lack of love and have poor relationships, then it will be difficult for you to attract love into your life.
What about beauty? There is beauty all around us. Do you experience the beauty that is abundant on the planet, or do you see everything as ugly, wasteful, and dirty? How is your health? Are you sick all the time? Do you catch cold easily? Do you get many aches and pains? Finally, there is money. Many of you tell me that there is never enough money in your lives. What do you let yourself have? Or perhaps you feel you are on a fixed income. Who fixed it?
None of the above has anything to do with receiving. People always think, "Oh I want to get this and that and whatever." However, abundance and prosperity is about allowing yourself to accept. When you're not getting what you want, on some level you are not allowing yourself to accept. If we are stingy with life, then life will be stingy with us. If we steal from life, life will steal from us.
Money Beliefs
Many of our parents grew up in the Depression; many of us have inherited beliefs while we were young, such as, "We may starve", or "We may never find work", or "We may lose our home, our car", whatever.
Very few children say, "No, that's nonsense". Children accept it and say, "Yes, that's right".
Make a list of your parents' beliefs about money. Ask yourself if you are still choosing to believe them now. You will want to go beyond your parents' limitations and fears because your life is not the same now. Stop repeating these beliefs to yourself. Begin transforming the pictures in your mind. When an opportunity comes up, don't echo your past history of lack. Begin proclaiming the new message for today. You can begin now to affirm that it's okay to have money and riches and that you will use your money wisely.
It is also normal and natural for us to have more money at certain times than others. If we can trust the Power within to always take care of us no matter what, we can easily flow through the lean times, knowing that we will have more in the future.
Money isn't the answer, although many of us think that if we have a lot of money, everything will be fine; we won't have any more problems or worries. But money is truly not the answer. Some of us have all the money that we could ever need, and we still aren't happy.
Be Grateful for What You Have
A man I knew told me that he felt guilty because he couldn't pay back his friends for the kindness and gifts they gave him when he was not doing so well. I told him that there are times when the Universe gives to us, in whatever form we may need, and we may not be able to give back.
In whatever way the Universe has decided to respond to your need, be grateful. There will come a time when you will help somebody else. It may not be with money, but with time or compassion. Sometimes we don't realize that these things can be more valuable than money.
I can think of many people during the early days of my life who helped me enormously at a time when there was no way for me to pay them back. Years later, I have taken the opportunity to help others. Too often we feel we must exchange prosperity. We must reciprocate. If somebody takes us to lunch, we immediately have to take them to lunch; or somebody gives us a gift, and we immediately have to buy one for them.
Learn to receive with thanks. Learn to accept, because the Universe perceives our openness to receive as not just exchanging prosperity. Much of our problem stems from our inability to receive. We can give, but it's so difficult to receive.
When someone gives you a gift, smile, and say thank you. If you say to the person, "Oh, it's the wrong size or the wrong color", I guarantee the person won't ever give you another gift. Accept graciously, and if it really isn't right for you, give it to somebody else who can use it. We want to be grateful for what we do have, so that we can attract more good to us. Again, if we focus on lack, then we will draw it to us. If we are in debt, we need to forgive ourselves, not berate ourselves. We need to focus on the debt being paid off by doing affirmations and visualizations.
The best thing we can do for people who are having money problems is to teach them how to create it in consciousness, because then it's lasting. It's much more lasting than handing them some money. I'm not saying, don't give your money away, but don't give it away because you feel guilty. People seem to say, "Well I have to help other people". You're a people too. You are somebody, and you're worthy of prosperity. Your consciousness is the best bank account you can have. When you put in worthwhile thoughts, you will reap large dividends.
Tithing Is a Universal Principle
One of the ways to attract money into your life is to tithe. Tithing 10% of your income has long been an established principle. I like to think of it as giving back to Life. When we do that we seem to prosper more. The churches have always wanted you to tithe to them. It is one of their principal ways of gathering income. In current years that has expanded to tithing to where you get your spiritual food.
Who or what has nourished you on your quest for improving the quality of your life? That could be the perfect place for you to tithe. If tithing to a church or a person doesn't appeal to you, there are many wonderful non-profit organizations that could benefit others by your contributions. Investigate and find the one that is right for you.
People often say, "I will tithe when I have more money." Of course then they never do. If you are going to tithe, start now and watch the blessings flow. However if you only tithe to get more then you have missed the point. It must be freely given or it won't work. I feel that life has been good to me and I gladly give to life in various ways.
There is so much abundance in this world just waiting for you to experience it. If you would know that there is more money than you could ever spend, or more people than you could ever meet, and more joy than you could imagine, you would have everything you need and desire.
If you ask for your highest good, then trust the Power within to provide it to you. Be honest with yourself and others. Don't cheat, not even a little, it will only come back to you.
The Infinite Intelligence that permeates all says "Yes!" to you. When something comes into your life, don't push it away, say "Yes!" to it. Open yourself to receiving good. Say "Yes!" to your world. Opportunity and prosperity will increase a hundredfold.
Reprinted with permission of the publisher, Hay House
©1991. Visit their website at www.hayhouse.com.
This article was excerpted from:
The Power Is Within You
by Louise Hay.
In The Power Is Within You, Louise L. Hay expands her philosophies of loving the self through: learning to listen and trust the inner voice; loving the child within; letting our true feelings out; the responsibility of parenting; releasing our fears about growing older; allowing ourselves to receive prosperity; expressing our creativity; accepting change as a natural part of life; creating a world that is ecologically sound where it's safe to love each other'; and much more. She closes the book with a chapter devoted to meditations for personal and planetary healing.
Info/Order this book (paperback) or Kindle edition.
About the Author
LOUISE L. HAY (October 8, 1926 – August 30, 2017) was a metaphysical lecturer and teacher and the best selling author of numerous books, including You Can Heal Your Life and Empowering Women. Her works have been translated into 26 different languages in 35 countries throughout the world. Louise was the founder and chairman of Hay House, Inc., a publishing company that disseminates books, audios, and videos that contribute to the healing of the planet.
Watch a video with Louise Hay: You Are What You Think
