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Three Steps to Significant, Intentional Change
by Phil Laut - Author of
Money Is My
Friend
and
Wealth without a Job: The Entrepreneur's
Guide to Freedom and Security beyond the 9 to 5 Lifestyle
This is Part 3 of 3:
Action
Part 1 of 3 covered Awareness
Part 2 of 3 covered Acceptance
Part 3 of 3 covers Action
Change starts on the inside. For many years I have been
teaching what I refer to as "Money Psychology." For more in-depth
treatment of this topic, please refer to my best-selling book, "Money Is
My Friend."
Available as a fully printable eBook with a 60 day money back guarantee
HERE
Money Psychology is the study of how a person's thinking
affects financial results. Financial success is not taught in Government
schools and it is very unlikely that you learned the principles of
financial success from 20,000 meals with people who did not have the right
information about money. The common training that most people received
about money was to accept the pay offered for work they only tolerate.
Therefore, you are likely to discover that stepping up to earn the income
you from work you love is an act of defiance--defiance of both parental
conditioning and societal conditioning. Such a transition to work you love
is greatly aided by the increased passion that you will experience from
the opportunity you are giving yourself to express what is your true
purpose, instead of conforming to someone else's purpose.
An important aspect of developing financial freedom is breaking free of
recurring patterns. No matter how long they may be in place; you can
change them with this three-step method I am describing. Significant
change begins on the inside. Change is much easier if you know how to do
it. The simple three-step method I have devised over the years to aid
people in making the changes they want consists of Awareness, Acceptance
and Action. These steps work together in that each one makes the others
easier. Leaving out any of them makes change much more difficult.
Action
By action we refer to
consistent, effective action that moves you toward your goal. To identify
the proper steps to take, you can find excellent advice from people who
have done it before or you can figure this out yourself. Procrastination
and struggle are energy and time wasters that will detract from effective
action. Procrastination is caused by fear. By this I mean the getting
ready to get ready. It doesn't matter what the fear exactly is, but accepting the
fear will relieve you of procrastination.
Struggle
Struggle
is non-productive action that produces only the internal result of
suppressing helplessness. By this I mean, if you are struggling, then you
don't have to face your feelings of helplessness. You can tell yourself,
"I not helpless, at least I am struggling."
The important thing to remember is that helplessness is a feeling, not a
condition. Just as
you can change a tire while feeling angry, you can function while feeling
helpless. In English, we say it inappropriately. We say, "I am scared" or
"I am helpless." Romance languages do it better, by saying, "I have fear."
This means that helplessness is something you have and not something you
are. Thus, it is OK to feel helpless, so long as you remember that it is
not a verdict about you.
REQUIREMENTS FOR SUCCESS
That
success requires effective direct action is accepted truth for anyone with
a good work ethic. However, a good work ethic is not enough. Those people
who earn five times the average income do not work five times as much, or
even five times more effectively. A person does not manage money, instead
he manages himself. For this reason, even extreme financial steps such as
re-financing your house or re-structuring your debt provide necessary, but
temporary, relief of symptoms caused by internal psychological factors.
Dealing with the causative factors in contrast offers the long-term
solution. Therefore, it is possible that you are out of balance in the use
of these steps. Many people tend to rely on the last step (action) or hard
work alone to manifest their desires. Yes, hard work is usually required.
But hard work alone is not enough. You will discover that the internal
work is work, too. Although it is different in nature than external work,
the primary challenges of the internal work is willingness to face up to
the parts of yourself you have been condemning and the willingness to move
forward despite pessimism and disappointment. Without the initial,
internal two steps of awareness and acceptance related to your personal
money psychology, you may discover that the action you take lacks the
effectiveness and consistency required for success. In other words, your
best efforts are bedeviled by internal psychological factors that cannot
be overcome by harder work. Change starts on the inside. With this
three-step method, you can move ahead much more quickly and with less
work. |
