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Is It Possible to Shift Our Thinking?!

Are you looking for more Ease and Grace to flow around your finances?  If so, this blog was written for YOU! 

So much of what we believe about money, or anything really, was instilled in us when we were very young.  It’s as if we didn’t have much choice in the matter.  The good news is that we do have a choice now!  It is possible to shift our thinking about finances and money, as we become conscious of what it is we do believe.

Exploring Our Money Consciousness:

Our consciousness, which holds our thoughts and beliefs, is like an iceberg.  Just as a large portion of an iceberg is under water, so it is with our consciousness.  A large portion of our consciousness is unconscious to us!

The thoughts you think long enough turn into beliefs.  Your beliefs turn into habits; in turn your habits determine your character.

This is how Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu put it:

Watch your thoughts; they become words.

Watch your words; they become actions.

Watch your actions; they become habits.

Watch your habits; they become character.

Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

In this blog, I share a moment where I installed a series of beliefs about money that ended up not being very helpful to me.  I learned later in life that I could change these beliefs because they no longer served me; I had the power to change my vibration around finances and money!

Moving Out of the City to Create a Better Life:

“Mom!” I called out as I walked in the door after a day at my new high school.  “Where are you?”

“Up here, in your room.” my mother replied. 

I raced upstairs, excited to share about my day, as well as more of my ideas for decorating my new room.  Our family had just moved into a new house, in a high-end neighborhood, outside the city of Pittsburgh; the year was 1969.  My parents had scrimped and saved to move into a different neighborhood to give us all a better life. 

Our old neighborhood was close to a section of town that had a plethora of drugs and gangs.  Because we lived so close to a high-tension area, police officers would often drive down our street and sometimes knock on our door asking questions.  My parents did not want that influence to impact my younger sister and me. 

Rewards for Working Hard:

I worked hard with my mother, over the summer, to prepare for the move.  To reward me for my hard work, she promised that I would be able to decorate my new room.  I was super excited about the idea.  I loved blue and had imagined pastel blue walls and a lovely blue floral bedspread.

When I walked into my room, my heart sank.  My mother was placing pink and green material over my bed.

“Oh, Carol, I’m glad you’re home.  I found this quilted material on sale for such a good price.  It will be perfect for making a bedspread.”

“But, Mom, I wanted blue.  You said I could decorate my room.”  I replied clearly.

Not Being Heard:

“This will be so much better, Carol.”  Mom responded with enthusiasm.  “We can paint the walls pink to match the flowers.  I have a green carpet in the basement that matches the leaves.  With white chiffon curtains, it’ll be perfect!”

“But Mom…”  I replied weakly, my voice trailing off, tears welling up in my eyes.  I knew my mother well enough, after 14 years, to know that she would not change her mind.  She would lead the way with her ideas, and I would have to live with it.   

Protecting My Heart from Hurt:

Not knowing what else to do with all the feelings I had, I buried them inside and covered my heart with yet another shell of protection.   

Years later, as an adult, I was exploring my money beliefs because, after starting a new business, it was not flourishing. 

Buried Beliefs and Memories:

The pain of this buried memory came flooding back with intense clarity.  I soon remembered a rush of thoughts and beliefs pouring into my consciousness that day in my bedroom with my mother:

• Broken promises—if that is what money means, I don’t want anything to do with it.
• When I speak, my voice is not heard; does anyone hear me?  Please listen to me!   
• I am not good enough.  …to have my own ideas; to speak for myself.      
• I am not worthy enough.  …to decorate my own room; to choose my own colors.
• I don’t matter.
• When people make promises, watch out; they will likely break their promise and your heart.

Shifting Beliefs in Consciousness:

WOW, these buried beliefs were no longer helpful to me in my desire to create a successful business or to live a good life.  I am giving myself the benefit of the doubt—that I created these beliefs for a good reason, to protect myself from getting hurt again.  Now that they no longer served me, I knew it was time to let them go.  In case you are wondering, after doing this, my business began to prosper!   

Raising Your Vibration Around Money:

Do you have any life conditions that you would prefer to get past?  Or, do you have any situations you could create differently, if only you had more money?  Would you like to raise your vibration around finances and money?  Would you like to be free to live more deliberately, more abundantly, rather than by default?  (Feel free to share your answers in the comments below.)

How exactly does one do this?

Invest in Raising Your Vibration:

The short answer is to pause, take a moment to notice, and perhaps feel, the pain behind your beliefs.  Releasing this pain will raise your vibration.  An investment in raising your vibrational set-point, around money, will pay dividends for the rest of your life!  Get professional assistance if you need it.    

The long answer is in the following action steps.  These steps include sorting out specifically what you find yourself thinking, feeling, and believing about money, finances and abundance.

Defining Money, Finance and Abundance:

Before we get to the steps, it would be wise to define our terms:

• Money is a currency, an energy; it responds to your vibration and to where you put your attention.  Remember, energy goes where attention flows. 
• Personal finance is how you manage your money.   Finances are the monetary resources of an individual or an organization. 
• Abundance is a mindset of sufficiency, of always having enough, no matter what your current data may imply.  This subject is all encompassing, way beyond the topic of finances and money.  Stay tuned for an expanded discussion on the topic of abundance in future blogs.  For now, we are exploring abundance in terms of finances and money.

~Creating Ease&Grace with Finances~

Summary Steps:

1. Observe what you are thinking:  In terms of finances and money, it could be positive or negative.

Useful Beliefs / Affirmations	Limiting Beliefs
At month end, I have more than enough money for savings and FUN.	My money runs out before the month ends.
I am enough; I have enough.	There’s never enough.
Money flows to me easily and effortlessly.	I work hard to get my money.
Money is a currency, an energy, and I have plenty.	It’s all about money; they have it and I don’t.
Abundance is my birthright.	I inherited my parent’s poverty / lack thinking.

Our objective here is for you to notice your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs around finances and money.  Especially note the ones that hold back your flow of money, giving you limited resources to manage.  These are the ones to take into your next step.

2. Notice the feelings you have about what you are thinking:  Do you feel aligned with your beliefs and feelings?  If so, are you aligned with your positive ones or your negative ones?  Note specifically your alignment to the beliefs that are your visions for where you want your finances and money to be.  Perhaps there is misalignment here? 

   While misalignment may be uncomfortable, it is good to notice!  I believe that misalignment is my Higher Self calling me forward to greater alignment with the Truth of who I AM.

   I like to get quiet and observe where my feelings are coming from.  If you do this, ask yourself:

2. 2. • Are these feelings coming from memories of my childhood?
      • Are these feelings from memories of a difficult situation I have experienced?
      • How old was I when I first had this experience?
      • Or does something else come up for you?

These are clues to how these beliefs got installed in the first place!  Let any, and all, feelings that come up be OKAY. 

An unresisted thought only needs seconds to become part of your consciousness.  Likewise, within minutes, it is possible to release your resistance to any of the old beliefs that have surfaced for you and install new thinking.  Enjoy the process!   

3. Install new thinking:  Be sure to notice the feelings that arise as you do.  This is a perfect opportunity to “change your thinking [and thus] change your life.” (~Brian Tracy)

   The thoughts you think repetitively and long enough become your beliefs.  Isn’t it wonderful to know that you have control over this process!
   
   I find that starting my day with these practices is especially valuable.  As we all know, the way you begin your day determines how your day goes.  The way your days go determines how your week goes.  The way your week goes determines how your month goes.  The way your months go determines how your year goes.  The way your years go ultimately determines how your life goes.  Isn’t it amazing what an impact a few minutes of positive thinking and affirmations in the morning of each day can do for your life?!

Ways to Shift Consciousness:

Once you become more conscious about your thinking, you can easily notice and adjust your thoughts.  This can be done while you are doing something else: while you are at work; while you are doing the dishes; while going for a walk, etc.

Another idea is to make positive use of any ‘down time’ that shows up in your day.  This could include stopping at red lights; standing in line at the grocery store; waiting for a doctor’s appointment or car repairs; etc.

This supposed ‘down time’ could become your gold mine for altering your consciousness, with minimal effort, and perhaps ease and grace too!  How cool is that?!

I’d love to hear from you about your experiences engaging in these activities.  Do you have any tips to share about raising your vibration?  What works for you to shift your consciousness to a better place?  Please share in the comments section below. 

XOXOXOXOXO  

I invite you to continue exploring The Art of Ease and Grace with me in future blogs.  

• If you would like to get an email notification when future blogs are posted, please click HERE to join my mailing list.  At this time, my audio blogs are available by email OR by scrolling to the top of this web page. 

 

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~ Carol McNulty-Huffman,

Best-Selling Author & Inspirational Speaker

 

artofeaseandgrace.com

 

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A Peek at My Next Blog Post:

Topic: Grace

• Grace is our topic next month.  The title has yet to reveal itself!   

• Grace is powerful in so many ways.  I look forward to seeing how my words flow around this topic in the next few weeks. 😊   

Summary of the Three Keys: 

• The three keys to living with Ease and Grace are Vision, Vibration and Grace.  Vision is about setting a Vision for the long-term or an intention for the short-term.  Vibration is about stepping into the Vibration of that Vision, so that it can easily manifest.  Grace is a wind that is always blowing — a power flowing through our experience more and more as we open to receive it.  

• The fact is these keys are already at work in our lives, whether we are aware of it or not!  Noticing these keys allows us to access them more consciously and use them to create a life of greater Ease, Grace and flow.

• To learn more about Vision Click HERE
  
  
• To learn more about Vibration Click HERE
  
  
• To learn more about Grace Click HERE
  
  
• To learn about the Birth of this Blog, and releasing regret, click HERE

We are continuing our conversation about The Art of Ease and Grace, between blog posts, in my private Facebook group (Art of Ease and Grace).  Click HERE to request entry.  You can also email me at carol@theartofeaseandgrace.com or send a message through Messenger to make that happen.

If you would like to get an email notification when future blogs are posted, please click HERE to join my mailing list.  

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