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Catherine

Are You A Servant Or Master Of Your Money?


Why do you do what you do?

Everyday you do something. Whether it's waking up in the morning and rising out bed, putting on clothes, eating, driving in your car, going for a walk, you do stuff. It's part of your very unique and individual life. Take a look at your calendar for the past week. Try to remember what you did on each of the past days. Maybe you write in a journal every morning. Go back and read your thoughts starting one week ago and ending on your writing from yesterday. Then, try to remember what you ate each day, who you spoke with, what you did, how you felt when you did it. Does anything stand out for the past week? Unless something out of the ordinary occurred, it was probably what you may consider a normal week. You woke up at the same time, ate the same breakfast, did the same things. Now think about how you WANT to live your life. Are you doing what you WANT to do everyday? It's easy to not answer this question with "it's not realistic to do what I want everyday, this is a silly question" or "I'll answer this when things settle down, right now I don't have time to really think this through." And yet, think back to five years ago, are you where you thought you would be today? Now go back 20 years, then right after you graduated from high school, still the same answer? Maybe you go into work everyday to job that doesn't seem meaningful. The thought of leaving is a non-starter because: money. Maybe you really wish you had more "free" time to spend with your family and when you think of cutting back on your hours of working you realize you can't because: money. If you are not living the way you desire and you said the reason why you are not is because of money, then you are a servant to your money. If you ARE living a life, that on most days you are able to do things that you enjoy, are fulfilling, and bring you a feeling of well-being at the end of the day, then you are or are becoming a master of money. Money is a significant presence in your life everyday: from the groceries you buy, the utilities you use, the clothes you wear, the car you drive, and how your receive your coins. Everyday you are living in and around your money and other people's money. The way to live with your money everyday is to be the master of your money. Here are five things you can do today to move towards become a master of your money:

One

Own your money. Really own it. Look at how much you have in the bank, in your piggy bank, how much to people owe you, how much do you owe others. See it all as your money picture. Don't be afraid to do this -- if you decide not to do this first step, then you are servant of your money. If you do this first step, then you are becoming a master of your money.

Two

Take a look at your past month's bank statement(s) -- the account(s) where you pay the majority of your living expenses. Scroll through the transactions. Pay attention to how you feel when you see certain names or amounts. Label them as "good" "neutral" or "frustration." For example, maybe when you see your mortgage or rent payment amount you feel relief -- that would be a "good" transaction. Or, maybe you feel anger because you see you have very little leftover after you make the payment, that would be "frustration." When you're done, objectively look at the good, the neutral, and the frustration. For the items that frustrate you, spend some time thinking about what you can do to reduce them or eliminate them. It could be an easy answer or it could prove more challenging. List the positive things that the good or service provides. It's important to remind yourself of the positive aspects of the good or service instead of focusing only on the cost.

Three

For the rest of the day, every time you walk into a store or go somewhere to buy something, spend 30 seconds being still or in silence. Maybe you need to pick up some groceries and you would normally rush in and rush out of the store. Your money will be going with you and you'll be leaving it behind. Pay attention to what you buy, who you are buying it from, the cost of it, and why you buy it. Be aware that you are choosing to spend your money on this. Make it clear to yourself that you won't begrudge or regret the purchase. Let your money go and receive the goods in exchange with a glad heart. If you can't do this, then don't let your money go.

Four

Take a deep breath and examine the amounts you owe to others. Get out a piece of paper and write down the name of the company or person and the amount you owe as of today. You can get the most current balance online or through an automated voice system. Include your mortgage amount. Once you have all the names and amounts written out, add them up. Take another deep breath. How do you feel? Angry and frustrated? Maybe it's not as bad as you thought. Do you want the amount you owe to others to be $0.00? Then start thinking how you can increase your incoming coins and decrease your outgoing coins to pay those amounts off as quickly as possible. Don't get frustrated thinking it's a fool's errand, it's not. You have a powerful mind and it combined with your intuition will soon provide you with an infinite source of ideas and solutions. Pay attention and act.

Five

Be aware of how you receive and spend your money. This is critical. You know that your life to date has primarily been one of choice once you struck out on your own. You've taken care of yourself to-date and everyday you do certain things that make up your life. Money is a big part of your everyday choices. If you don't feel you have enough, then be aware of what you are doing everyday that creates you not having enough. See where your money is going and determine how your life would be different if you stopped that expenditure. See how much you receive for the work you do in helping others everyday. If what you do isn't fulfilling, then remember, you're a servant of your money. If you what you are doing is fulfilling and you still don't have enough, then figure out how you can increase your coinage in a fulfilling way or decrease those expenditures that feel too much.

Remember: your money wants to serve you, you just need to show it how.

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