Healthy Finances, Healthy Body

I know it may seem odd to talk about finances on a blog predominately dedicated to health and wellness, but our financial situation can directly contribute to our physical health and well being.

Money is a major source of stress for many people and that stress adversely affects our physical body and our mental state. Constant stress causes us to be in, “fight or flight” mode, which can cause hypertension, cardiovascular disease, a weakened immune system, poor sleep, diabetes, and weight gain.

In addition, healthy eating habits can be difficult or impossible to maintain if you do not have the financial resources to buy nutritional foods, like vegetables, fruits, and lean meat/protein. Let’s face it, eating healthy can be much more expensive than grabbing something from a fast food restaurant.

As a result of these 2 factors, I believe it is critical to spend some time addressing our financial health along with our physical, mental, and spiritual health. We truly can’t have one without the others.

So this week I would like to introduce you to a little exercise that will help you begin to get your financial health tuned up.

Just as you can’t have a healthy body if you fill it with junk food, or a healthy mind if you are focusing on negative thoughts, you can’t have cluttered financial space. What I mean is, if your money/credit cards/checkbook are stuffed into your purse or briefcase with assorted receipts, dried up pens, and old gum wrappers your are not creating a healthy environment for your finances. The same holds true for the loose change floating around your car, couch, etc.

Today or over the weekend, take some time to clean out your purse/briefcase, wallet.

Throw out all of the trash

Organize and file any receipts.

Line up all of your cash by denomination.

Sort out gift cards and credit cards and place them in slots.

Collect and wrap all loose change, cash it in at the bank, or take it to a spare change kiosk. Either deposit the change into your savings account or put it on a gift card. Do the same thing for spare change in your car and around the house.

Go through other purses, wallets, coat pockets, and anywhere else money may be hiding and collect any forgotten currency.

By cleaning out, organizing, and nurturing the financial resources directly in your hands you tell your higher power you are ready to be responsible for more money and you open up space for more money to follow in.

Once you have cleared out and organized your money, you will probably be a little bit richer, and you will be amazed at how much better you feel about your finances and feeling better about money can mean feeling better about your mind and body!

Feel free to share your experiences below and have a happy, healthy day!

I LOVE Money…

For many of us, having more money is one of our goals.  Perhaps we want to earn more money, increase our financial freedom, create a source of passive income, or become a multimillionaire.  But, despite our best efforts we struggle to achieve our dreams of wealth and security.

Why?

As we go through life we develop beliefs and attitudes about money that run counter to our intentions to attract more:

• Rich people are “bad”.
• Money isn’t spiritual.
• Money is the root of all evil.
• Money changes people.
• Money doesn’t bring happiness.
• etc…

We have a love/hate relationship with money.  We love it because it makes us feel happy, helps us care for our families, and pays our bills, but it also brings us stress and feelings of lack, envy, and greed.

However, in order to attract the money we want to improve our lives (and the lives of those around us) we MUST learn to love and respect money.  Take a few moments to consider how much kindness and respect you give your money.  For example:

1. Do you have money wadded up in the bottom of your purse/briefcase, or is your money neatly sorted in your wallet?
2. Do you “blame” money for your problems?  “No matter what I do I never have enough money!”
3. Do you carelessly waste money on things you do not need or do you enjoy saving up for that special item?
4. Do you have a financial plan or do you stash your money here, there, and everywhere?

For years, I treated my money with total disrespect.  I kept extra cash lying around the house or stashed in a desk drawer, I tossed spare change on the seat of my car, I bought what ever I wanted whenever I wanted it, and I made no attempts to wisely invest a portion of my income.

It wasn’t until I started “taking care” of my money that my finances started to shift.  Now, I keep spare cash locked in a safe, I neatly tuck my spare change into a change pouch, I follow (mostly) a budget, and I set up an auto debit from my checking account to fund my IRA.  I take time each day to show my money love, respect, and gratitude.  It has taken time, patience, and dedication but I am seeing an increase in my finances as well as in opportunities and creative ideas to help me make more.

If reaching your financial goals is a bit of a challenge for you, take some time to consider if you are treating your money the way you want money to treat you.  Ask yourself,

“If I treated my friends/family the way I treat my money, how many fulfilling relationships would I have?”

If the answer is not many, then try this exercise to help you regain a positive, loving relationship with your finances:

Every day for the next month, write down at least 10 reasons you LOVE money.  Consider things like: money makes me happy, money helps me care for my family, money bought me a new car, money supports me in all ways, giving money to help others brings me joy, money is a physical representation of positive energies, etc…

This can be a powerful method to begin to rebuild a strong, healthy relationship with your finances.

Have fun!!!

 

Thank You Thursday

Happy Thank You Thursday!

When was the last time you said, “Thank You”, for your debt?  If you’re like most people, probably never.  For many of us, debt is the big bad wolf in our life.  Even if you have very little debt, you look at it and grumble a bit, “Agh, if only I didn’t have to pay this darn bill!”

Feeling stressed or irritated about debt changes our vibration from gratitude and joy, to more negative energies.  However, if we can look at our debts and reframe them into something positive, it becomes easier for us to manifest miraculous results, like more money (aka less debt).

This week, I encourage you to write a letter to someone you owe money to such as your mortgage company, water company, or credit card company.  Considered that without your mortgage company’s help you would not be living in your current home and the water company is kind enough to give you the water you need now and send you a bill later.

Here is an example of the letter I wrote to my credit card company:

To the staff at Wells Fargo Bank,
     I am writing this letter to say, “Thank You”, for the money you have given me over the past several years.  I am truly grateful for your trust in me and my ability to pay you back.
     Thanks to your money, I have been able to have some amazing adventures.  I have travelled throughout the world.  I have terrific souvenirs, photos, and stories to remind me of my trips.  I have discovered new restaurants, clothing boutiques, and hobbies simply because I had the money you lent me to pay for these experiences.
     You have helped me buy groceries, stay healthy and fit, watch television, and drive wherever I want to go.
     Your patience in waiting for repayment has made my life much less stressful.  Thank you for your faith in me.
     I look forward to the day when I can repay all of your generosity.  

With sincere gratitude,
Rachel

 

Lest you fear that focusing on your debt or being grateful for it will bring MORE debt, remember that it is the feelings of gratitude for the wonderful things you have received as a result of the debt (the house, the car, the food…) that you are focusing on NOT the debt itself.  

While it may seem silly or a waste of time to write a letter thanking your credit card company, I assure you it is a powerful exercise for teaching you to reframe your beliefs about money and debt.  The more you can see your debt not as a negative thing, but as the vehicle that brought you treasures, the more positive and grateful your energetic vibration will become and the more positive, grateful feelings you will receive.

Writing these letters has helped me reduce my anxiety and dread when bill paying time comes around.  Now, when it comes time to pay a bill, I am happy to do it because I am repaying a kindness rather than a troublesome obligation.

Give it a try and see if it helps you feel better about the money you owe.

 

How to be Extraordinary

This infographic comes from Mindvalley.com.  It includes a few “life hacks” or tips to help you break down your blocks about money, exercising, eating and dieting, reading, education, and medication.

Enjoy!

If you liked this post click here to sign up for my newsletter.

Give a little, get a lot!

Today is Arizona Gives Day here in AZ.
It is a day each year in April dedicated to encouraging people to give to a local non-profit charity.

I love this day! I donate to various local charities throughout the year, but there is something about donating on this particular day that makes me feel 10x better than any other day.

This year funds are pretty tight and I considered forgoing my usual donation in favor of paying rent.

Then I remembered that one of the key tips to manifesting more money is to not be afraid to give some away. This shows the Universe that you already feel abundant and prosperous and are ready to receive more of the same. It puts your mind in a positive plane for accepting wealth and abundance.

Plus, one of my life goals is to be a philanthropist. As a child when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up I always said, ” A Rockefeller or a Carnegie”. Their contributions to charity and the arts entranced me.

Now that goal seems pretty far off considering my current finances. Or is it?
According to Mirriam-Webster the definition of philanthropy is, “the practice of giving money and time to help make life better for other people.”

That’s it! That is all I have to do to be a philanthropist? There’s no dollar amount or time requirement?

Whoopee! Goal attained!

So today with one donation I achieved a major life goal and attracted more money into my life. How great is that!

The biggest thing to remember is it’s the act of giving that attracts more abundance not how much you give. Revel in the joy of helping others and you will be rewarded many times over.

So whether you are in Arizona or somewhere else in the world, donate to your favorite organization today. You’ll be glad you did.

Oh ya, my chosen charity today? The MIM (love that place)!