Money Is Not The Source Of Happiness

These days, in our materialistic culture, many people are led to believe that money is the ultimate source of happiness. Consequently, when they don’t have enough of it they feel let down. Therefore, it is important to let people know that they have the source of contentment and happiness within themselves, and that it is related to nurturing our natural inner values.  (as posted on http://www.facebook.com/DalaiLama )

What If Money Didn't Matter?

The other day I saw this come through on my twitter feed and I thought it was good enough to share.  We all want and need income, but sometimes we get so fixated upon money, that we lose site of everything else that matters in life.  Sometimes we look for direction in life, but instead we become focused on money, rather than the purpose behind our life.

As I am learning in my life, service to humanity plays a much bigger role in helping us connect with abundance.  When we find things that make us happy and inspire our heart, it is then that we will find true purpose in life.

This video, What If Money Didn't Matter, on facebook was a good reminder of these things.

Illusions Of Abundance, Part 2

This is part 2.  Please read part 1 from yesterday before reading this section.

Part 2

If you ask the person who has lost everything in life what truly matters, I doubt money will be on the top of the list.  Ask the person who lives in the forest and does not know modern conveniences exist, what truly matters, and I bet you will get a much different answer than someone living in mainstream society.  You see, we have truly lost sight of what matters in life and our warped view has muddied the waters of abundance and wealth.

While I know that we require money to function in society, it is my opinion that this is wealth, not abundance.  Abundance has more to do with the essentials of life that truly matter.  Of course, when you are truly abundant and in line with your role in the universe, then I believe wealth follows. 

I laugh when I hear people thinking that if they picture a boat in the front yard because they feel that is what they “NEED”, that it is going to show up.  Why on earth, would that happen?  What purpose would it serve?  I think to view the universe or the spiritual concepts of abundance as a catalog you can order from, is foolish and not very enlightened.

What matters in life is how we align our life with our purpose of being here and how we grow in our own awareness and evolve as humans.  It isn’t about how much money we can gain or how many followers we can obtain; it is about aligning and surrendering to our purpose in this world. 

Illusions Of Abundance, Part 1

Part 1

Seek and ye shall find!  I remember hearing that repeated so many times growing up.  Often though, we fail to seek out that which we need for ourselves and we become attracted to the illusions of our day.

There are many out there pointing the way towards abundance and wealth while confusing these different concepts as the illusion of answers for our life.  We act as if these people have all the answers to our life.  We seek the answers, but we fail to find them because we are blinded by the illusion.

When life is tough and we are down and out on our luck like many people in our day, it is easy to see the pretty neon flashing lights of the wealth and abundance preachers, as the answers to our problems!  They give us pretty words to listen to or read on the internet and they make claims that sound almost believable, but in reality they are too good to be true!  We all know that there is no such thing as a free lunch, yet we park ourselves at the table waiting for the food!

Abundance Or Wealth

Too often, we equate "abundance" with "wealth", and that to be abundant means you have wealth or money. However, abundance implies a spiritual concept of being fulfilled in life, versus wealth that is having great sums of financial resources. Abundance does not necessarily imply that you are wealthy, but all too often these days, it is twisted into that definition.

One of the things that I loved from the movie, "I Am", is their explanation of money, and if you apply this to abundance, wealth or happiness, it really speaks volumes. To have twice as much money as you do at this moment, would you be twice as happy? That is essentially the question they were asking in one part of the movie. After all, if money is happiness, abundance or peacefulness as many suggest, then to have twice as much money would mean you have twice as much happiness, abundance, or peacefulness.

I'm sure that most would probably roll their eyes at this and say, "well if I had $20 in my pocket before and now I have $40, I would not necessarily feel twice as happy." You might feel a little more bounce in your step but not twice as much. If you had not worked in a year and $40 meant a great deal to you, then you might be extremely happy.

Consider this example to illustrate my point. What if some person was living out in the woods and had built a home from the trees, fished in the nearby lake for their dinner, and lived off the land? To this person, they had everything that they needed. Now, someone comes along to explain spiritual concepts of abundance to them and says that they need to do these things to feel abundant and to expect "money" or "wealth" to come their way if they do.

Do you think that person would say, why of course I do? After all, they live off the land which gives them everything they need, and they feel fully fulfilled. They have no desire for anything because everything is already provided by the land.

Yet, to many in the abundance movement, this person would be lacking "money" and they most likely would say, "well with money you could do more in life." Again, the person living off the land feels fulfilled.

You see, I think we mix up the terms abundance and wealth. They are two different concepts. We have people come along that offer courses for $999 or $97 or other amounts and we jump at it because they are an expert, and so they have to have the answers. Yet, we fail to see that we are after "wealth" and not necessarily abundance. We feel that if we have more "money" that we'll be much more happy.

There are many people that have much wealth and many of them will say that they don't feel wealthy. There are many people who have won the lottery and thought it would solve their problems, only to find themselves penniless and near homeless a few years later, with no friends.

Money does not buy happiness. It, however, can bring us things to enjoy, but if all those things were gone tomorrow, what would life be to you? If you have not lost everything in life, that is a question which is hard to answer.

If you want happiness, go within yourself and work on healing the parts of your body and mind that are disconnected and unaware. Look within to find happiness and if you do not like what you see, then work to change it.

If you keep looking externally for wealth and abundance, you will never find it! It will always elude you and escape from your grasp. Happiness is what you glean from your experiences in life as you fulfill your life's purpose on this planet. Abundance is a result of that, and wealth is something you pick up along the way!


Further Reading:
1) Movie Review: I AM Documentary (Blog Post 6/28/11)
2) Unlimited Abundance (Blog Post 5/13/11)
3) Happiness And Abundance (Blog Post 6/22/11)



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blog Post & Images (c) 6/22/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

If any part of this post is used or shared, a link back to this site is required.
http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Abundance Beliefs

Abundance is more than telling someone that they should be increasing their yearly income by 10% or leading people on that abundance is all about money.

I’m sure if you told that to the person living in the cabin in the woods, that they would stare at you in disbelief, knowing that everything they needed was within an arm’s reach.

What about convincing the person that won the lottery, and bought everything their hearts desired, only to question if the “wealth they received” was truly abundance when their heart desired more in life?

It is so easy to prey upon people who have very little and we are living in times where there are many of them around but please, let’s keep abundance as a pure concept and not adulterate it for our own good. Let’s not sell out something that is a spiritual concept just so we can become wealthy ourselves.

Of course, I do know that the ego is strong and it desires, money, control, power and it manipulates others. However, that is not abundance.

Abundance is much more than money or getting the things your mind desires. It is about a way of living where you feel complete and fully satisfied no matter how many dollars you have in your pocket.

It is a moment of true connection to your path in this life in how you impact the world on a daily basis. Abundance is much more than any of us can describe, especially those that are holding the measuring stick of achievement.


Further Reading:
1) Unlimited Abundance With Christie Marie Sheldon
2) Joy, Gratitude, Abundance
3) Abundance: My Fear Of Money

Click Here For Details

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blog Post & Images (c) 5/31/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

If any part of this post is used or shared, a link back to this site is required.
http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dalai Lama When Asked What Surprised Him Most About Humanity

The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, answered "Man.... Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived."
(Source unknown)

Check Out - Relaxing Piano Music by Don Shetterly

To Increase Your Secure Feelings About Money

I saw this posted on the Angel Therapy board (Dr. Doreen Virtue) in the Feb 2009 issue of the Angel Therapy Newsletter.

To increase your secure feelings about money, try these methods:

1. Write your worries or concerns and put them in a special box (I call it a God Box) as a physical demonstration of “letting go and letting God” help you with the issues.

2. Write a letter to God, spelling out all of your feelings and what you need help with. Put this letter face-up on your altar or the location where you most-often pray. I’ve had miraculous results over the years with this method.

3. Write any fears on a piece of paper and then put that paper in the freezer compartment of your refrigerator. When you “freeze the fears,” the problem is rapidly resolved.

4. Keep asking yourself: “What is the blessing within this situation?” There’s always a silver lining to every seeming problem.

5. Use my favorite Louise Hay affirmation: “Out of this situation, only good will come!” The more that you affirm this, the more peaceful you will feel. And a peaceful mind attracts and creates wonderful solutions.


Note: Picture courtesy of Don Shetterly. A rare glimpse of Don's creative side with chalk.