When I moved into my new dwelling seven months ago, I decided not to try to make things happen but to allow them to happen.
This meant letting go of the idea that I knew what I needed next and trying to make it happen.
I had to be willing to trust my inner guidance and wait until I had a strong urge to restart and restructure my business. I didn’t want to duplicate what I had been doing before.
I also didn’t want to be exactly who I was before. This required a lot of inner work as I strived to make my life comfortable physically, emotionally, and as stress-free as possible.
Someone reminded me that moving is one of the 10 most stressful things you can do in life, and I was doing it at age 84, by myself.
Fortunately, I had a lot of help from friends.
Because I moved into an empty apartment, I had the choice of furnishing it exactly as I wanted without spending a lot of time driving around looking at things or thoughtlessly spending money.
Because I was in a very new and different position physically, emotionally, and financially, I had to develop new habits and ways of perceiving myself and my environment.
My new financial position
All my life, I have experienced financial ups and downs. It was true growing up with my family and during my two marriages, both of which ended, by choice, after seven years.
As an entrepreneur, there were years when money flowed freely, and others when I found myself on the edge. I even experienced a bankruptcy when my beloved crystal business fell apart.
One of my long-term goals has been to never let my money determine how I feel. I have known too many people who worry about money, even people who have millions.
Deep inside, I knew that whatever I was going through was what I needed to become who I was becoming, although I didn’t know what that was.
I have worked diligently for many years, teaching my brain not to worry while I developed new responses to familiar stimuli, such as watching my bank balance dwindle precipitously.
After I bought a house in 1999, I had a sense that, if things got too difficult, I could sell the house and I’d be okay. In the middle of last year, after 25 years in the house, it became clear that the time had come to sell it.
It sold quickly and left me in a very new financial position.
Dealing with the moving stupid’s
In my book, Build Your Money Muscles, I introduced the idea of the moving stupids, which are feelings that often come with unfamiliar experiences. It takes your brain a while to adapt to a new environment and activities.
This often leads to feelings of disorientation and confusion, plus difficulty making decisions. I’m glad I knew what to expect.
During the last 6 months, a lot has changed for me – physically, emotionally, and certainly financially. I thought I could adapt in 3 months, but it’s taken much longer.
I had no idea how difficult it would be to quickly develop new skills, especially financially. Having your financial wishes come true takes an effort to adapt.
I had to be willing to keep moving forward until it felt like the time to start the new chapter of my life.
That time has arrived.
Building on the theme of Prosper from the Inside Out
There’s so much I want to share with you about what I’ve learned in the last year or so.
All of what I’ve been going through has helped me solidify the idea that our inner world is the creative force behind our outer world.
I hope that you find the idea as fascinating as I do. The journey to success and stability becomes much easier when you change your focus from the outside to the inside.
Everything you need is already inside of you. Finding your strength within is the key.
Thanks to all of you who have stayed with me during my long hiatus and to those of you who have connected in the last few months.
You all have given me strength.
Joan
www.ProsperityPlace.com/
You have been missed!