Financial Journey
(featured column)
Life
is Filled with Critical Things that Money Cannot Buy
by Karen
Kuebler
You know those days when you are feeling really down and out because money is
tight. You might be trying to figure out how to pay certain bills, debt seems to
be mounting, and you don't feel like you can afford to go out and do anything fun.
First, don't worry it's very normal to be hit with days and feelings like this.
More...
Second, try taking a completely different approach. Change your perspective and
start to think about all of those things that money cannot buy, yet they are critical to a life of well being and happiness. I'll share with you a list that I
developed that reminds me of just how well off I am if I am suffering from the "money blues."
Relationships - You can't acquire love no matter how much money you have in the bank. Your family and friends fill your life with joy and happiness. Just
imagine how empty life would be without them.
Good Health - Be thankful for your health and take measures to improve it and maintain a healthy body. Money can help when you are sick and have to pay the
doctor, but you have the opportunity to do a lot of preventative maintenance without spending a penny. I realize that those reading this could be suffering
from health issues currently. Our family is dealing with this very thing as I write this. But it makes me more thankful for my ability to be able to walk, see,
hear, and a variety of other activities. Never take your health for granted.
Personality and Talents - Each of us are born with our own unique personality, including special talents. If we take the time to appreciate our own
distinctive traits and further develop our talents, we can have a world open up to
us that is different from any other person'Ts. I used to think I had no talent because I wasn't musically inclined, I was uncoordinated, etc. Then it finally
dawned on me that kindness, compassion, ability to teach, my listening skills and
other traits were uniquely mine. I developed the skill of writing to be able to
spread my desire to teach in another way. Think long and hard about all of the traits you have that make you unique from everyone else, and be thankful for
those special gifts.
Intelligence and Desire to Learn - This could be considered a subset of your personality and talents. But I felt it was important enough to single it
out. We are given a gift of intelligence and it is our choice how we use it. If
you work to develop this throughout your life and create a "continuous learning"
mindset, there is a wealth of knowledge available, just for the desire to seek it.
Imagine a world without all of the learning available that we have at our feet, it
would be pretty boring!
Sense of Humor - I feel having a sense of humor is one of the greatest gifts we are given. It makes daily life more fun, and it can help you through the
dark times too. It is a very healing quality. Norman Cousins healed himself from
a serious illness by surrounding himself with nothing but comedies to watch, laughter is definitely the best medicine we have, and it is completely free!
Hope, Faith, and Dreams - Some of us exhibit and practice these gifts more than others, but they exist for every one of us. Sometimes it takes a lot of
practice to develop these gifts, but I find that life would be pretty empty without
having hope, faith and dreams to hold onto. Years ago, when I was in a pretty blue
state of mind, somebody asked me what dreams I had. Taking her very literally, I
told her that for some strange reason I had been having a lot of nightmares about
planes crashing! She said, not those kind of dreams! When I realized I couldn't
really come up with any, I made a turn around at that point. It's part of the continual learning gift we all have. I've been living the last 30 years with
several dreams to look forward to achieving.
Creativity and Resourcefulness - This is another trait that might not seem natural to everyone. Believe me, this is something that I didn't think I had
years ago. I thought I was a totally left-brained person, and it's the right-brained people that are creative. Then I discovered that you could work on both
sides of your brain to become a whole-brained thinker. My creativity and resourcefulness have soared over the years. Not only are these qualities free of
charge, but also by using them you will find limitless ways to increase your abundance.
Persistence - Even if you don't feel like you were born with this trait, or it doesn't come naturally to you, I would counter these thoughts immediately. It
is all a matter of your own self-talk. If you decide to practice being persistent,
and create positive affirmations for yourself that you will become persistent, then
you will! By practicing persistence in everything you do, you can accomplish any
goal you set out to achieve.
Nature - I saved this for last because this is one of my favorites. To think that we have a whole world filled with beautiful abundance, and such variety,
to enjoy each moment of every day is absolutely overwhelming to me. You couldn't
pay me enough money to enjoy waking to the birds singing, watching a magnificent
lightening storm, observing the colorful rainbow, watching the graceful deer run
through our forest, viewing a beautiful sunset, playing with my cats, experiencing
the quiet and calm of a snowfall, listening to the rain on my roof, laughing at the
squirrels chasing each other around our pine trees, taking in the beautiful scent
of the pines, watching the waves crash on the rocks along the beach. I could keep
going with the joys of nature that I love and I haven't had to pay a penny to enjoy!
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Copyright
© 2006 by Karen Kuebler. All rights reserved.
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