Even if you are overrun by debt or struggling with money, it is possible to have the experience of true abundance. Life should be filled with gratitude and love, and according to Kate Northrup, both of these critical elements for happiness and abundance are free.
No matter what your bank statement says, there are countless ways to create the experience of feeling prosperous. These practices don’t have to cost a lot – or even any – money and they can shift the way you experience money instantly.
1. Create a Money Love Journal
What we put our attention on grows. Many of us forget to include our money in our regular mindfulness practices. A Money Love Journal will give you a special place to write your own money love story. It’s a great place to journal about your emotions regarding money, to keep a desire list, and to do the exercises outlined below. Creating a book with the specific intention of cultivating a loving relationship with your money can have a very powerful, positive energetic effect on your money.
Task: Find a blank book that looks and feels really abundant to you. The colors gold, deep purple, red, and royal blue are associated with prosperity in Feng Shui, so choosing a book in those tones would be perfect. This is your sacred book for the practice of loving your money, so make sure you love it. If you want to save money, you can even make one yourself. Just Google DIY blank books and you’ll find tons of ideas.
2. Money can be spiritual
Many people hold the belief that having money or wanting to make money is unspiritual. It’s important to be aware of the beliefs that are running your relationship with money. If you believe its unspiritual to have or want to have money, there’s no way you’re going to allow yourself to have abundance. Since money is simply a stand-in for what we value, and since we earn money based on the amount of value we’ve offered to the world, making money can, in fact, be a deeply spiritual practice. If you’re focused on being of service and adding value, you will earn more money. Moving through the world in this way is a spiritual practice. That’s a win-win.
Task: Begin to pay attention to your thoughts, beliefs, and words about money. What we think and say are powerful forces that shape our realities. Stop making negative comments about people with money. Replace “I can’t afford that” with “I’m choosing not to buy that.” Examine your inner money monologues so you can change your story.
3. Plugging Financial Energy Leaks
Since money is a stand in for what we value, it’s important to spend money only on those people, places, and things that we value. When our spending is in alignment with our values, we feel good. When our spending isn’t in alignment with our values, we feel guilt, shame, fear, or worry.
Task: Look at your most recent credit card or bank statement. Go through each expense and check in with yourself. Ask yourself: “How do I feel about that purchase?” If you get an expansive, good feeling, put a smiley face next to it. If you get a contracted, negative feeling, put frown next to it. Now, go through and identify what sort of situation you were in when you made each frown face purchase. Who were you with? Where were you? What were the emotions you were feeling at the time? This will give you the powerful information you need to change your future spending habits in a way that repairs your financial energy leaks. Next time you’re in those situations, be more vigilant when you take out your wallet.
4. The true meaning of abundance
True abundance isn’t about stuff, it’s about a feeling. Having material goods like a beautiful home, good food, and nice clothing may make you feel abundant, but so will health, great friends, and adventure. Each person will have a different set of circumstances that make him or her feel whole and abundant; it’s important to define what those are for you. Detach your perception of abundance from just material wealth and start to create a new, broader, more inclusive definition for yourself.
Task: Make a practice of cutting out pictures from magazines that evoke a feeling of abundance to you that aren’t necessarily associated with material things. A beautiful picture of an ocean, an image of a family seated around a table, or a photo of a woman practicing yoga might all be great images that represent abundance.
