Up-date: Money

I Thought I would up-date everyone on what has been happening since I first blogged about focusing on the appreciation of money.

In 2007 I wrote about how Steve Pavlina had inspired me to create focus areas for the year instead of New Years resolutions. As a result, the following has come to me by staying focused and being positive. You can read about it here.

• April of 2007 I started working through a temporary service.
• September of 2007 I was hired as a permanent employee making more per hour than I ever had before (with no prior experience in this job field).
• Unexpected money flowing into ours lives (some in nice chunks).
• April 2008 - work is picking up for our company and my husband will be handling a huge project that will require less travel time.
  

The interesting thing is that I never planned to work for another company - but I do recognized that this is where I am suppose to be at the moment.

Something else that has recently come to me in one of my "a-ha" moments is accepting that fact that it is good to "receive". It is good and very good. More to come on this subject later.

To Do List

Ok, everyone that has a "To Do" list raise your hand.

Almost every one has written one at least once in their life and there are a lot of people who use them every day. I usually have one written once a week. Although I know I would get more done if I wrote one every day.

I asked myself why I didn't use one on a more regular basis. The answer that came to me was that people do not like being told what to do - we don't even like telling ourselves what to do! So what would or could I do to make a "To Do" list more appealing? (Both to me and others.)

I thought about it for a while. After all what is a "To Do" list anyways... it's made up of things we want to get done or must get done. These are usually smaller scale items that need to be taken care of in our day to day lives. They are our daily goals (hmm, a clue).

Such a nice word "goal". It definitely has more appeal and some how inspires to "want to" do it rather than the "have to" do it. It feels like I have accomplished my item(s) - I have achieved my goal(s) for the day.

I no longer have a "To Do" list. I now have "Today's Goals" list. Sometimes just changing the wording can make all the difference in the world.

Focus - Staying Positive

Since January 2007 I have steadily been working on my 3 focus areas. The questions I asked myself was "How am I going to stay focused?" and "Where would be the best place to start?" I figured the best place to start would be to stay positive; I needed to have a more positive out look on my life as it is now. I needed a more focused, more thankful, more appreciative view of what I already had. So for the first few months this is what I have been working on the most...

Staying Positive

This can be very challenging - particularly when it comes to finances. Finances seem to be a "In your face" type of situation. What I mean by "in your face" is that just about everything we want or need has to do with the all mighty dollar. And everyone seems to want you to give them their share; which is fine - when you're not feeling stressed about money. So how can I/we get to our "happy place"?

I've always been a pretty positive sort of person, always looking for the good in situations and people - but I wanted something that would focus my attention more. I thought...

• "What is positive?" Positive equals good.
• "What does good mean?" Good means appreciating or being happy.
• "How can I focus more on being happy/appreciative?" Write it down.

Hmm, what a interesting thought.

So I got myself a notebook and wrote on the front cover, "Appreciation". I've dedicated the book only to writing about what I am thankful for. On the top of the first page I wrote, "What do I appreciate today?", "What am I thankful for?" I write everything and anything that comes to my mind - people, places, things; I write about it all!

At this time I do most of my appreciation in the mornings because this is when I have the most quiet time - I sit up in bed with my cup of coffee ( this is one of those things I appreciate) and write. However, you can do this any time during the day that you can spend about 15-20 minutes without any major interruptions.

In the beginning I wrote everyday. Sometimes I ended up with a very long list and other days it may have been just a few items. The point is, that I made it a point to create a habit of being thankful everyday. I was focusing my attention. If I wasn't writing, I was reading what I had already wrote.

Here are some of the benefits that I have noticed:

• Increase in ability to focus
• Increased happiness (everyone wants to be happy!)
• Appreciation brings more of the same into your life (Law of Attraction)

I have had some very good results from focusing my attention and being thankful in this way. Unexpected cash flow (into, not out of, my life), my writing has increased, and my request for a stronger connection spiritually has also improved.

You probably have areas in your own life that you would like to improve; write them down. Then focus your attention by appreciating everything and anything you can think of. The focus is in the writing and the ability to stay positive.