BE MORE, HAVE MORE
Do you wonder when you’ll be able to
stop working so hard? Are you waiting for your retirement
to really start living?
A conventional thought held by many is that
working hard will ensure your success. Do you think there
is a direct correlation between working hard and financial
success? If yes, did you ever stop to wonder whether that’s
really true?
Nearly every self-improvement author identifies
and promotes his or her favorite success traits. Most agree
that it’s important to be focused, energized, and
persistent. Merely working hard (burning the candle at both
ends), however, does not guarantee success. If it did, then
all those you’ve known who have worked tirelessly
would have lots of financial wealth to show for their trouble.
We have all observed individuals who seem
to have lots of luck without working an inordinate amount
of long hours. Does good fortune come to you at random,
for no apparent reason? I have not found this to be true.
Creating luck is a skill that can be developed by shifting
your ingrained beliefs (repetitive thoughts) to match your
preferred results. You can choose to align a new belief—such
as “I can create luck easily”—with success
and prosperity. The effortlessness with which this appears
to come about for some people is what others term “luck.”
Luck is simply a natural consequence of positive, deeply
held beliefs.
Examining your beliefs about what it takes
to be successful is vital to learning how to be more and
have more. If you believe that you have to work hard, suffer,
and sacrifice, you will experience some resistance in changing
your beliefs because, at first, believing otherwise won’t
feel right to you. That’s to be expected.
If you can say yes to any one of the following
questions, then your life is most likely out of balance
and you are limiting your success:
- Do you feel guilty if you don’t
work at least a 10-hour day?
- Do you feel guilty if you say no
at work?
- Do you find yourself taking on more
and more work because there’s no one else to do it?
- Do you complain about others who
don’t seem to work as hard as you do?
- Do you pride yourself on working
hard?
- Do you get frustrated because you
focus on what still needs to be done instead of what you’ve
already accomplished?
- Do you check your business voice
mail and e-mail regularly during nonwork hours or when you’re
on vacation?
More and more, I’m experiencing in my
own life that staying busy—that is, being in activity
without balancing this with rest and fun—is tiring
and gets in the way of living fully. Note that, when you
make a change from all of that DOING to more BEING, the
fear of inactivity can bring up feelings of guilt. Thoughts
like, “Shouldn’t I be doing something if I want
to be successful, if I want the money to come in?”
and so on are natural. These are shadow thoughts from your
old behavior pattern. Simply notice them, acknowledge them,
and smoothly shift to reminding yourself of your new belief.
Part of the fear for many (especially for
overachievers and perfectionists) is this, “If I take
too much time away from the ‘shoulds,’ I may
lose momentum now, and then I may not have the discipline
to follow through later.” This, too, can be managed.
You can develop a new pattern that consists of subtle momentum
without loss of effectiveness. Living too rigidly with a
tight schedule actually blocks you from other things, which
can result in lost opportunities.
There is no need to be a rushing river; instead,
consider being a meandering babbling brook. Don’t
worry, you won’t become a stagnant pond; you’ll
keep moving at a pace that allows you to regenerate and
be open to new developments. It’s important to notice
when you’re starting to feel tense and no longer at
peace with yourself or your situation. Good things happen
when you are energized, focused, and calm. [For more information
on how you can create more opportunity from the inside out,
email me for a FREE list of 28 Principles of Irresistible
Attraction.] When you begin to feel the currents of agitation,
stop, take some deep breaths, and make a new choice. Restore
your equilibrium.
How do you choose between doing the next task
on your agenda and taking a “being” break? Trust
your inner self (your body), not your agenda! Then you’ll
make great strides in making wise choices. Contrary to the
mental belief that working less means earning less, you’ll
find that—at the very least—you will be sustaining
your money flow. More often, there will be an even greater
influx of wealth.
You can choose what you believe in any given
moment. Are you willing to open your mind to the possibility
of working less and making more? Sometimes we choose to
try new things, as did the boy in the movie “The Karate
Kid.” We take a halfhearted approach because we can’t
fully see where it’s going to lead us. The mind wants
to hammer away at it with lots of “yeah, but . . .”
statements. And yet, you can settle your mind by taking
some deep breaths and making a new choice. Stop working
hard and start living today.
Copyright © 2003 by Barbara McRae. All
rights reserved. If you wish to reprint this article, please
contact me at barbara@enhancedlife.com.
Thank you!
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