DAY 27
Money
Will Not Make You Happy, But Happiness Will Make You Money
If you
expect to be happy with your money, you must realize that it is not
money that will make you happy. It is only your enthusiasm, your energy,
your hope, and your love that will truly satisfy you. You want to live
your life with a certain level of power and control, with true passion,
and from this energy money will flow to you.
It is
vital not to view money as the key to your happiness, but as a side-effect
of your happiness. If you are truly enjoying life, and doing
what you wish, money will effortlessly flow to you.
Most of
the exercises in this book have been leading you in this direction.
Today, as we near the end of this program, I would like to reiterate
those emotions which can help you feel joy in your life regardless of
financial conditions.
Once again,
the most important emotion you can develop is that of gratitude. The
key to prosperity consciousness is to feel grateful for all that you
already have, and all that you have to look forward to. By properly
putting things in perspective, it is easy to realize that we have much
more to be grateful for than to be bitter about.
The most
obvious way to gain perspective is to appreciate any moment in your
life that is not filled with tragedy. Obviously, tragic circumstances
enter each of our lives at some point, but these are usually few and
far between, and we can usually grieve healthfully and move on.
Most days,
however, are remarkably lacking in surprises. Life is usually so predictable
that we fall into the trap of complacency. The trick of perspective
allows us to be thrilled with the monotony of life. Any day that none
of your friends or relatives die is a great day. Any day that you are
not paralyzed in a freak accident is a phenomenal day. Any day that
you are not rushed to the hospital with a mysterious disease is a wonderful
day.
This may
sound simplistic, or stupid, but with an attitude that realizes that
misfortune can fall upon you, 99 percent of your days will be filled
with thanks that nothing extraordinary has happened. Perspective is
the easiest short cut to gratitude, and gratitude is the easiest shortcut
to wealth.
Take five
minutes right now and feel the truth of these words:
I NOW
REALIZE THAT MONEY IS NOT THE REASON FOR MY HAPPINESS. MONEY IS A SIDE-EFFECT
OF MY GRATITUDE FOR LIVING A JOYFUL, CREATIVE LIFE.
TAKE
ACTION: Reread your list of things for which you can give thanks
that you developed on Day 16. Today, add to this list all the things
that you do not yet have, but will soon have due to your new mental
attitude. Give thanks now for all the future happiness that you will
experience. Feel the emotions of hope and optimism.
QUOTE
OF THE DAY: There are two things to aim at in life: first,
to get what you want; and, after that, to enjoy it. Only the wisest
of mankind achieve the second. --Logan Pearsall Smith
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