Cultivate a Rich Life, and Eight Other Lessons for Living a Good Life
In the last couple months I’ve been feeling concerned about my finances. I have had some large expenses (well first my laptop broke down) and my stress levels have not been at their best. There have been times when I felt the shadows of anxiety lurking close behind. I don't like feeling anxious especially about money. And I’ve danced with anxiety to know that it serves no purpose.
So in the last couple of months, I decided that I needed to create a shift. No point in feeling like crap. I needed to take action. I'm a firm believer that finding the right things to do helps us to find solutions to our problems.
The heavy burden had lifted and for the first time in months I felt myself settled. I also realised how blessed I am and most importantly, blessed where it truly matters…in my heart and being.
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So how do you live a rich full life?
My financial situation didn’t instantly change. The only thing that shifted immediately was my perspective. I nurtured my inner wealth and I got rewarded for that. This is the best thing ever. Because at the end of it all, I would rather feel peaceful and grateful than anything else. That really anchors me.
I've learned that it doesn’t matter how much money I have in my bank account, if I am NOT at peace with myself, there is no point of anything including money. This is also where I tend to abuse my resources because I don't feel empowered.
When I am anchored, then I feel rich and I feel more at peace. I'm not deprived or filled with guilt or anxiety. I'm alright. I also make better decisions on how to spend my money. For example, I know that buying something cute today that doesn't serve me is not going to be the results I really need. But investing my money wisely will generate passive income for me to able to acquire meaningful things later. Even when my ego is tugging at me to get more stuff, I am empowered to recognize that I don’t need those things and I can say NO effortlessly.
The most powerful thing I've learned is that the long-lasting solution doesn’t lie outside of me and they cannot be purchased, won, or earned. I have the treasure box inside of me right now, a healthy financial future, and all I need to unlock it is to shift my perspective from what I lack to what I already have.
Although having a lot of money is useful, we all know that money is so limiting, That's why when you don’t have it, you feel lack and insufficiency. Yet we are all capable of living a rich life, regardless of our financial circumstances.
Over the years, I have met many people who live in alignment with their values, and they never let having or not having money deter them from being or doing what they came here to do. Because these adventurous souls were so willing to move through life without a safety net, not only did they live rich lives, but sometimes they became wealthy as well. However, financial wealth was never their cause; rather, it was the result of their living intentionally and in alignment with their vision, values, and purpose. The wealth they acquired was a bonus for their efforts but inconsequential to their journey.
So how do you live a rich full life?
Let me share with you the beautiful virtues that I learned from fellow blogger Vishnu about living a rich life. He says:
To truly experience a rich full life you have to learn to care about more than just money and yourself. You must attain what money cannot buy.1. Take care of yourself first – even when dealing with family. If you want to help others, make sure you’ve put yourself on solid ground first. Also commit to healing your wounds, making peace with the past, and becoming whole by practicing self-love. Treat yourself with kindness, love, and compassion.
2. Be grateful for small things that make you smile: kindness, truth, someone helping you, beautiful weather, chirping birds, or even a blissful, quiet moments. Acknowledge something that works in your favor, a surprise that delights you, or something that goes your way. Send a silent prayer of gratitude when positive things happen to you.
3. Let go of anger and bitterness in your heart. Choose to release the grudges that you’re holding in your heart. You don’t have to reconnect with the wrongdoer, but by holding onto the grudge, you allow him or her to hurt you repeatedly and daily.
4. Do more work that brings you joy. Look for alternatives to your current career and think about transitioning to work that fulfills you. Spend time helping and serving others. Use your skills to bring happiness to people around you. Donate your time or money to alleviate other people’s suffering.
5. Be willing to say “no” to obligations and situations that don’t bring you joy. Bow out of obligations that deplete you of energy, or that create negative energy in your life.
6. Start living more in the present moment. Take note when your mind slips back to the past or ahead to the future. Use mindfulness techniques to remind yourself that now is all you have.
7. Cut ties to toxic friends or acquaintances who make you feel inadequate about yourself. Stay away from toxic people and people who compare you.
8. Get excited for other people. Be appreciative of and genuinely thankful for the achievements and opportunities of others. The more you celebrate others, the more readily the you will be celebrated too.
I dare you to adopt an abundance mentality and believe that you can be financially free and that you can be rich. I need you to believe it. Because if you can’t even believe it, then taking action toward realizing it may prove futile since it’s not always an easy road.
Anything else you will add to this list? If you feel like sharing, I would love to hear in the comments below.
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