GETTING STARTED ON YOUR PATH TO PROSPERITY™
Steps on the Path
- Outline
- Visioning & Setting Your Intention
- Setting the Vibratory Frequency for Change
- Addressing the Messaging
- Attitude of Gratitude
- Practicing the Practical
- Wrapping it all up
- Epilogue
"Your prosperity is
damaged by your mental insecurity.
Mental conviction is the realism
of success and prosperity." Yogi Bhajan
© 1984 YB Teachings LLC
The Your Path to Prosperity™ Program is a 100% interactive program to re-assess the current level of prosperity in your life, determine if that is where you want to be, set new intentions if it isn’t, and map out your own personal path to realize those intentions. The only thing you need to succeed is your commitment to succeed.
"Whether
you think you can or
think you can't,
you're right."
Henry Ford
As in the Prosperity pals program, experience tells us that sharing our goals and intentions with others can be a very helpful tool. It is commonly known to be helpful to leverage the support of friends whenever you are embarking upon change in your life. Whenever we experience success in our efforts, or whenever there’s a doubt or a downward curve, a partner can help you re-align. But rest assured, it is not necessary. You may do this program alone, with one friend, with a group of friends, with a business partner, in short, with whomever you choose.
The most important part: Starting!
"Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now." Goethe
To change your life, you have to be willing to start. We think the minimum level of commitment to change your life should look something like this:
- Choose to work with a partner or alone
- Choose a committed time period. This is minimum amount of time you are willing to invest, and although you may go longer if you choose, you are agreeing that you will not go less than:
40 days
- The time it takes to develop or change a habit.
90 days
- The time it takes for all the blood cells to be renewed, so that
the new habit may be more integrated
120 days
- The time it takes for the subconscious mind to adapt to new
patterns
1000 days
- The time it takes to master something
- Set aside time to keep a log of your experiences. You should try to write each day, but if that is not possible, write as often as you can. Log your goals, experiences, insights, hurdles you may encounter and your successful maneuvering over or around them. Log the positive and negative thoughts around your experiences. If you don’t like to write, draw your log, or record it using a tape recorder.
- Be prepared to take time each week to review your program. Set a meeting time with yourself for 1 hour.
- Set aside part of your sadhana (personal discipline) time each day to do your chosen prosperity meditation.
- Finally, choose an amount and agree to a tithing program during your prosperity program. Whether you start with $11 a month or $1000 a month is not important. “God dispassionately responds to our emptying, by refilling. By trusting that God will come through, we experience the expansion of our capacity to receive. This is an energy exchange.” Tithing is the first law of prosperity and committing to a tithing program is an essential tool to experience the energy exchange of the universe.
“I have a really super busy life. But when I started tithing,
things got easier, without any effort.” (Donor)
- Be true to yourself. This process is as individual as there are personalities on the planet. Whether you prefer a visual, tactile or auditory process, it will all lead to the same place – putting into physical reality your dreams, goals, vision and intentions. Use words, pictures, drawing, journaling, or whatever works best for you.
- Time. Allow yourself time. Set a time span of say a week or a month to allow yourself to go through the whole visioning and intention setting process, and make sure there is “you-time” set aside for it, where you can be alone or with your prosperity partner(s) to process. And give this time priority - don’t cancel for any reason!
- Set the Space. Just like setting time aside for yourself, create a space that is conducive to the time and attention you want to spend on your prosperity. Graceful fabrics, candles, tea or a private nook can work wonderfully. Turn off the phone and have any materials you might need nearby so that you won’t be disturbed and you don’t need to get up and get anything during your set time.
- Meditate. You may choose any meditation you like. Since our focus is on prosperity, we recommend that you choose a Prosperity Meditation. The first part of Subagh Kriya (The Har-Har prosperity meditation) is a very popular meditation, and this year’s Prosperity Meditation of the Year is very powerful, but choose the meditation that speaks most to you. Make a set time and do it every day.
© 2007 Darshan Kaur Ý Back to Top
Step One: Visioning and Setting Your Intention
Visioning
Setting Intentions
Vision/Intention
Exercise
The number one, all-important part of anything at all you wish to embark upon in life is knowing what you want. Visioning gathers the etheric quality of something vast yet vague, and setting intentions brings that quality into a coherent, practical and achievable position to be realized.
Ask yourself the following questions. Meditate on the response of your heart and the response of your head. Look to see if your head and your heart are answering differently. Don’t judge yourself, but look neutrally to see if there are conflicting feelings that make you lean one way or the other with your answers. Look further to see if you can find the root of the feelings and thoughts that arise in response to the questions. Finally, log your answers.
Tip: If you have trouble answering a question, reverse
it and ask the opposite.
For example, the first question is “Describe prosperity in your own words.”
If you find it difficult to describe prosperity, try describing what prosperity
isn’t.
Visioning
-
Describe prosperity in your own words
-
What would prosperity enable you to do?
-
What does lack of prosperity stop you from doing?
-
What feeling does the word wealth invoke in you?
-
What was the situation with money in your family?
-
How were you brought up to think about money?
-
How do you think about rich people?
-
How do you feel about riches?
-
What constitutes abundance for you?
-
Do you feel prosperous in your life now?
-
How much money do you want?
-
What would that amount of money do for you?
-
Describe what would make you feel more prosperous
-
If you had that much money would you feel prosperous?
Now that you have gone through this exercise, consider the following: Are the head and heart answering the same? Do feelings of fear, shame or anger arise when you think about prosperity, wealth, money and abundance? Can you define what you want? Can you define it in great detail?
Vision/Intention Exercise
TO DO: Look through your answers and find the common
threads and begin to make a list of what you want. First define what prosperity
means to you. Describe it in as much detail as you can. Then determine from your
answers what prosperity would allow you to do. Again, describe it in as much
detail as possible. Be specific. Many of the questions were meant to inspire
introspection. You only need to write down how you want prosperity to take its
place in your life, how you want prosperity to look and feel, every day.
Tip: If a million dollars is your idea of prosperity, don’t just
write “a lot of money,” but also
don’t cap yourself. Use a plus sign after any sums you write down, so that if
the
Universe brought back $1,000,001 it would still be able to find you!
These, then, are the prosperity intentions you are setting for yourself. Make a copy to put on your altar, but keep a copy near you. Intentions tend to become more defined the more we focus our energy on them. Nothing you have done is written in stone, and you will find that the wording may change, as you continue on Your Path to Prosperity™
© 2007 Darshan Kaur Ý Back to Top
Step Two: Setting the Vibratory Frequency for Change
Representation
Prayer and Meditation
Meditate
“When you blend time and space
with the Unknown,
you become the beloved of the Unknown.” Yogi Bhajan
© 1985 YB
Teachings, LLC
Having an intention is simply not enough – we have to vibrate in the frequency of the change we want to effect in our lives, and take right action to ensure its coming. You will see in part three that our thoughts and words are the message we are sending out, but before we move to part three, we are going to use the techniques of prayer and meditation to set our intention in the physical realm around us.
Give your intentions a representation. A popular way to do this is to browse through old magazines, pictures or other resources, cutting out pictures which represent your intentions, and then putting them together in collage fashion to “draw the picture.”
“I don’t like to cut up my magazines, so I used images from web searches, and put them together in photoshop.” (Donor)
There is no shortage of techniques to create a physical representation of your intentions. For one person it could be a beautiful box or container which holds written statements. For another a picture, for another a recording playing 24/7 on the altar, and for another yet something else. Use your creative energy to design something that most suits your personality and lifestyle.
Do it. This is a really important step and should not be left out.
Set a time everyday for your prosperity meditation. If you haven’t chosen one already, now is the time to do it. If you are having difficulty deciding, we recommend trying the Har Har Prosperity meditation (part one of Subagh Kriya to begin with. You may change meditations after 40 days, if you should so desire.
Set up your space for meditation by bringing the representation of your prosperity intentions into the space. Place it before you so that you may comfortably meditate upon it.
Go over your prosperity intentions. We recommend actually reading what you have written down (or listening to a recording of your voice reading them) before starting to meditate.
Say a prayer. choose a prayer of your own making, one of Yogi Bhajan’s from below, or one of another spiritual teacher.
All Quotes: © YB Teachings LLC,
Used with kind permission of Aquarian
Wisdom Calendars.
“Give us (me) strength, encourage us (me) in spirit. Elevate us (me) in radiance so we (I) can be healthy, happy, holy and blessed with the bliss of our (my) life and love, so that we (I) can smile, communicate, and be as a spirit shining in Thy name, to all human beings.” Yogi Bhajan
“May this day be the day of peace and joy. May the spirit of You prevail. May we all (I) be blessed and elevated and may our (my) courage take us (me) to the performance of experience and grace.” Yogi Bhajan
“Blessed God help us (me) to rise above the clouds. Give us (me) the strength to live in light.” Yogi Bhajan
“Lord God, give me love so I can flow in the love of all. Give me wisdom so I can be kind to all. Give me courage that I can serve all.” Yogi Bhajan
“May your (my) own power prove to yourself (me) that you are (I am) the existence of God. May this give you (me) bounty, beauty, and bliss. May you (I) rise to your (my) excellence and recognize God walking on your left and right unto ecstasy.” Yogi Bhajan
“Blessed is the day that has passed, and blessed be the day that shall become today.” Yogi Bhajan
“May we (I) understand that the One who has given us (me) life and raised us (me) from nothing to everything will take care of everything in due course of time.” Yogi Bhajan
Meditate
Repetition is everything! Do your prosperity meditation every day, for the
duration you agreed to (40 days, 90 days, 120 days, or 1000 days).
When you have finished your meditation, sit and meditate deeply and silently. Feel the energy you have created through your prayer and meditation. Keeping your eyes closed, and holding your intentions, visualize how this energy extends beyond your physical body; feel its vibration becoming the vibration of your life.
© 2007 Darshan Kaur Ý Back to Top
Step Three: Addressing the Messaging
Microscopic Truth
Exercise # 1
Exercise # 2
Meditation and
Technology
Just
remember, from today onward promise to speak sacredly, to live sacredly and deal
with life sacredly, prosperity will be yours forever and through your
generation.
8/29/85 Yogi Bhajan
© 1985 YB Teachings,
LLC
Congratulations – you are now on Step Three of Your Path to Prosperity Program. Addressing the Messaging is a fantastic step for determining your own microscopic truth about money, wealth, abundance, finance and prosperity, by consciously and honestly looking at how you think and what you say, with the profound understanding that what you think and what you say, are what you project and what you attract in return.
This is can be one of the hardest steps, because microscopic truth can be a bit nit-picky, but it’s well worth it! We vibrate a specific frequency that is primarily made up of our thought patterns, so we radiate clearly from that space – unblocking of the flow of prosperity often starts here.
“The
prosperity and poverty in life is only to those who impulsively talk. Those who
talk consciously shall always be rich because their world will become
meaningful, effective, and the formula of OPI, OPM will come right at their
door, opportunities will come to them left and right. You can satisfy your
emotions, you can satisfy your fears, you can satisfy your feelings, but you may
not satisfy your consciousness. Conscious communication is the secret to
richness, worldly and heavenly both.”
10/8/85 – Yogi Bhajan
© 1985 YB Teachings,
LLC
Everything has to line up. It is imperative that your words line up with your actions and your actions line up with your thoughts and your thoughts line up with your words…you get the picture. Yogi Bhajan taught his financial people never say, “we don’t have enough money,” but rather to say, “it’s not presently in our budget.” One surely negates the ability to have enough, while the other offers every possibility for enough to be a reality.
Our thoughts are unique to each of us, and while it’s possible to give a few very obvious examples of negative projection through our thoughts and words (“I’m broke,” “I can’t afford it,” “I am poor,” etc.), what needs to be addressed on a very personal level are the very complex intricacies of the monologue running in our minds.
Because it is so personal and because the monologue is running in your mind, it’s quite impossible to write out every conceivable projection. This is your homework. Give yourself a few weeks (or months, or years!) to research and identify your thoughts – and, therefore, your projection – about money, wealth, abundance, prosperity. Remember, too, that this is an on-going process. As you clear away some things, others you weren’t aware of might rise to the surface. The more obvious ones will surface more quickly, but persevering will take you into deeper and, probably, more hidden belief systems about money.
Below are some exercises to assist in this process.
Use this exercise to really assess your feelings about prosperity; it will give you lots of hints about your own personal microscopic truth in relationship to money, wealth and abundance. By becoming aware of your true feelings, you can begin to address anything that is out of alignment.
Take some time to sit in stillness and reflect. Use a meditation, breathing techniques or some other way to quiet your mind.
When you feel calm, quiet, and still – say the word “money” out loud. Feel the vibration of the word, and what response it invokes in you. Repeat the exercise saying the words abundance, wealth, rich, taking your time in between each one to feel your physical and mental response to the word.
Come back to the still and quiet place, breathing long and deep and feeling relaxed. And now go through the same process with the following sentences. Say each one with conviction Do you really believe it? Does your mind immediately make an excuse as to why it is not so for you? Do you need to add anything to make it real or believable for yourself? Take your time and really visit how your mind and body respond to each one.
-
I have everything I could possibly want or need!
-
The Universe is plentiful! There is plenty for me!
-
I am prosperous!
-
It’s ok for me to be prosperous!
-
I am rich!
-
I am wealthy!
-
It’s ok for me to be rich & wealthy!
While exercise one addresses fundamental belief systems related to prosperity, exercise two addresses the everyday interaction with money and how our thoughts about it affect our frequency. There are often many discrepancies to be found in how we think we are thinking and acting, and what the reality is. Here are some examples from everyday life. You, of course, will have your own situations, your own thoughts and responses. These examples will stimulate the thought process to evaluate what you are thinking when you are participating in monetary transactions. Read each one, meditate on the situation and think about whether there are similar circumstances in your life. Do you make exclamations like these? What thoughts are running through your mind at the time? The real exercise is to evaluate what you are thinking during transactions like these, and, if necessary, to correct the thinking process that goes along with them.
You are at the store, and you are using your credit card for the purchase. What thoughts are going through your head as you hand the cashier your card?
- Is there any hesitation when you give it to the cashier?
- Does the idea flit through your mind that you might have spent too much?
- Do you feel any momentary trepidation (however slight) that the card won’t go through?
You receive a bill in the mail.
- Do you think, “I don’t get anything but bills!”
You are writing a check.
- Is there any speck of resentment about what the check is being written for? (“These music lessons are so expensive!!” “The electric company is a robber!”)
- Is there any hint of hesitation when you hand it to the recipient?
- Is there any fear the check will not clear?
You are paying your bills.
- Is there any fear or worry the money won’t cover all the bills?
- Do you feel resentment at having to pay so much money?
What if there really isn’t enough to cover every bill?
- Do you beat yourself up over it?
- How do you talk to yourself about it?
- Do you feel anger? At whom?
- Do you feel guilt? Why?
Do you use theoretical/spiritual reasons or beliefs to block your prosperity?
- Do you believe it is wrong to be wealthy?
- Do you think money is filthy?
- Do you think if you are spiritual you "should" be above such things?
- Do you have to convince yourself that you are content, because you "should" be?
- Do you feel money is not holy?
Consciousness means to crystallize yourself and see through your all Chakras in
communication and find out where you are at, find out at what Chakra you are
receiving, find out at what Chakra you are communicating. – Yogi Bhajan
© 1989 YB Teachings,
LLC
Yogi Bhajan taught a fantastic technology to change negative thought and belief patterns into positive ones. This is a simple, effective and incredibly powerful tool that can be used for any negative beliefs in any aspect of your life, and we are applying it to prosperity right now.
Set aside some time for a meeting with yourself (or your partner/s) on beliefs. Really brainstorm on some of the negative thought patterns and beliefs you may have “behind the scenes,” and any you have found through the exercises above.
Here is a useful three-step
process to identify old beliefs
(shared by Dr. Shanti Shanti K Khalsa, of the
GRD Center for
Medicine and Humanology).
Look at the feelings that come with your beliefs, which will give you a clue to what you are thinking, what the thoughts are. Examples are despair, anger, hopelessness, shame, etc.
Identify beliefs through language. Examples: I could never afford that. I’m
always broke. This will never work.
Once you’ve identified old beliefs, create healthier beliefs. These new beliefs
have to be based in nature, not based in the future, and always realistic.
Beliefs should always be “I”-based.
Examples: I can improve my income, I am doing what I understand to do to make my life better. As I learn to trust God more, I become more comfortable with my prosperity. It is not about an affirmation or positive thought like, “I am going to get this job.”
On a sheet of
paper, create two columns and write the negative beliefs down in the left
column. In the right column, write a corresponding positive belief.
Once you have determined the positive beliefs, set aside time every single day
for 40 days, and use the following technology. This technology helps in the
process of loosening and weakening the old beliefs and strengthening the new,
positive beliefs.
For each positive belief:
1. Breathe in deeply.
2. Mentally repeat the positive belief three times.
3. Exhale fully while speaking the positive belief once.
4. Repeat two more times.
The more often you do this exercise, the more beneficial it will be. Make time
once, twice or three times a day to practice it.
If
you think you are poor you are poor because you do not communicate with your
soul – the source of prosperity, the source of reality. – Yogi Bhajan 7/25/89
© 1989 YB Teachings,
LLC
Coming next:
The Attitude of Gratitude
© 2007 Darshan Kaur Ý Back to Top
Step Four: The Attitude of Gratitude
About The Attitude of Gratitude
“When you speak
positive there is no negative left to express and then there is a gap. In that
gap comes then the super positive and that's what in English we call God.
Therefore it is an attitude of gratitude. Attitude of gratitude is when you are
grateful for every breath of life. Now people say, "What should we do when we
feel something is wrong?" When there is something wrong, feel that thank God it
is not you. When you feel there is something good thank God that you have
learnt to be something. And this way you can process your life and progress
your life. What will happen? You will get high spirited. You would rise and
to fill the vacuum from nature will come the wealth and prosperity. Otherwise
your poverty is proportionate to your emotionalism.”
6/26/98 – Yogi Bhajan
© YB
Teachings, LLC
“If
you just feel happy for what you have, have an attitude of gratitude, and be
grateful, then it will come true, you will be great and you will be full.”
3/15/98 – Yogi Bhajan
© YB Teachings, LLC
About The Attitude of Gratitude
It’s in every religion, every spiritual path, it’s written in books by scholars and philosophers, you’ll find it in The Secret and you’ll find it almost anywhere there is wisdom recorded or shared in some way – the attitude of gratitude is the essence of prosperity, happiness and presence in life. As we saw in Addressing the Messaging, our thoughts create the vibratory frequency of what we draw to ourselves. Understanding our own personal message is important, vibrating the essence of gratitude is the most positive, uplifting, and encouraging message we can use to replace the old.
“As many times
in life you fall apart, then it becomes your sad story, it becomes permanent
depression, it becomes permanent expression, “Oh nobody cares,” “Oh I don’t
care,” those kind of statements which I call negativity. And when you start
expressing yourself negatively, that only particularly means that you are
ungrateful to God. The happiness in life lies in gratitude, and the way to
prosperity, to happiness, to life, to love, to all items in life, is in
gratitude, not in being great. Doesn't matter how much you try, you can never
be great if you do not have an attitude of gratitude, it is basic.”
9/01/91 – Yogi Bhajan
© YB
Teachings, LLC
Poverty cannot touch a person who lives in gratitude. Whatever their circumstance may look like from the outside, they live harmoniously and beautifully and good things will always come their way. Yes, and whatever they define prosperity to be, that will be true for them. They will always have enough. And perhaps most importantly, it will flow to them easily – without stress, worry, frustration, doubt, anger or any of the other negative emotions which drain our life force.
“If you have not
developed the attitude of gratitude you have lost whatever spiritual and worldly
thing with you. Because it is gratitude, your own gratitude, your own breath of
life, your own gratitude to your own consciousness, this is what nurtures the
Garden of the self of the man.”
10/31/93 – Yogi Bhajan
© YB
Teachings, LLC
The attitude of gratitude is an exercise in presence. Being here now, breathing deeply in and out, feeling the moment, and being in it are a big part of feeling gratitude – you are focusing, even reveling, in the gloriousness of Now, of what you have and experience right here now, rather than what you don’t have and aren’t experiencing. It is a total shift of consciousness to focus on what you have rather than focusing on what you don’t have. You begin to shift from a negative (“I don’t have…”) to the positive (“I am blessed to have…”), and this shift of consciousness is what allows everything to flow to you. Negative = no, no, no, positive = yes, yes, yes – where is the abundance going to flow to?
“Your greatest
mantra is, ‘I don’t know,’ ‘I can’t say it,’ ‘I can’t do it,’ can’t, can’t,
can’t and when you can’t, can’t, can’t all the time and you want yes, yes, yes,
happen, happen, happen, miracle, miracle, miracle, what are you talking about?
Just test it out, have gratitude, attitude of gratitude, and see how many things
come to you.”
9/2/91 – Yogi Bhajan
© YB
Teachings, LLC
When we focus our attention on our blessings, it shifts the energy around us, and our auras change to allow more positive things to flow through. We begin to vibrate the frequency of abundance, because we are meditating on our personal abundance, and thus allowing more abundance in.
“You have to
learn only one thing. This planet belongs to God. God rotates this planet.
Let God take care of your routine. Do not interfere. Spare yourself
from pain, tragedy, desperation and desolation.” – Yogi Bhajan
© YB Teachings, LLC
Sit down with pen and paper and make a list of everything you are grateful for. Each day do this again. And again. And again. This is an honoring process, it will open your eyes to everything you have in your life to be grateful for. This is very important. You may think, “Yeah, yeah, I already know I have a lot to be grateful for.” But this exercise will take you in deeper and deeper detail into every facet of your life that is good, positive, great. It will show you how blessed you are. And it will shift your focus from the negative to the positive.
“Live with
applied consciousness, prosperity will break through the walls, you will be
flooded with it. You do prayer when you are in difficulty; pray when you are
not in difficulty, that’s the attitude of gratitude!” 8/30/91 – Yogi Bhajan
© YB
Teachings, LLC
Money comes into your life, money goes out; it’s a constant cycle. It is very important to focus our awareness on this cycle so that we can infuse it with blessings. Learn to bless your every interaction with money. A simple way to do this is to add a small mark to any transaction that involves money or finances. This process reminds you to bless where the money came from and where it is going. Any symbol can work, as long as it is conscious, it can even be a part of your signature as long as it is dedicated to the cause of blessing. Every time you sign a credit card slip, a check or a deposit slip, and even any time you make a cash contribution, you are reminding yourself of the blessings of the money you have received, the money you have available to spend, and the money that will come again. Ideally, every interaction should be accompanied by a blessing: “I bless where this came from, I bless where it goes, and I bless what comes in its place.”
“The attitude of
gratitude is the highest way of living, and is the biggest truth, highest
truth.” 8/30/91 – Yogi Bhajan
© YB
Teachings, LLC
An important part of every spiritual and religious tradition is giving back, and traditionally this is a “tithe,” or tenth. Many spiritual paths recommend this practice strongly because it is such a powerful tool in learning to trust the Infinite to provide.
Tithing is a tool given to teach us the truth about gratitude, abundance and fulfillment in our lives - the fundaments of prosperity consciousness. It is given to us in terms of a “law,” a “mandate,” a “command,” and yet we are at liberty to choose to obey or not, and we are equally at liberty to reap the vast rewards of tithing as well. John Roger writes, “The tithing law is to give 10 percent of one’s increase back to God, with God being represented on the physical level by the source of one’s spiritual teaching - often a church, synagogue, mosque or spiritual teacher.” Yet tithing is so much more than just giving, for the scriptures not only write of what one must do, but what one may reap from it. Tithing is not something that depletes our resources, but multiplies, increases them.
The law of tithing is that you give 10% and you will receive ten-fold in return. And often this can come in varied and unexpected ways – a discount on a bill, a monetary gift, or a raise, are just a few ways those unexpected gifts can flow through. Again, the practice of tithing helps us be aware of the inflow and outflow of money in our lives and gives us more opportunity to bless that cycle. If you do not have an existing tithing program, consider starting one today with whatever institution represents your personal spiritual path. Whether you are giving $10 a month or $1000, the consciousness of tithing is vastly important to deeply experience gratitude.
Resources:
More about Tithing, As you Tithe 1, As you Tithe 2
Start a
Dasvandh Tithing Program
“Attitude of gratitude brings you opportunities beyond your concept. And when the prayer becomes the vibration of the soul, mind and self, we can create a miracle.”12/8/89
Try the beautiful meditation from Yogi Bhajan called, “Trigger the Positive Mind.”
© 2007 Darshan Kaur Ý Back to Top
Step Five: PRACTICING THE PRACTICAL
Like everything in life, prosperity has its very practical, grounded, earthbound side. Along with the mental (setting the intention) and the spiritual (meditation, projection), the physical applications are a necessary part of growing and nurturing your prosperity. And what are the physical aspects and applications of prosperity?
Budget Management and Bookkeeping
Debt Management and Debt Elimination
Support Methodology (such as De-cluttering, Feng Shui)
We are not creating the wheel again – there are many excellent resources for the work you have to do in this area (see Resources below), but our job is to emphasize and re-emphasize the importance of this step. If you are the master of your finances already and all the above-mentioned tools are in place, congratulations! For the rest of you, this step is not negotiable. Even though it requires some hard thinking and dealing, in areas that may or may not be your forte, truth is freedom, and this step is your ticket to the freedom you need for prosperity to really flow strongly in your life.
In order to define prosperity, you have to know where your accounts stand; you have to know how much debt you have, how many savings, and you have to be able to setup and maintain a budget. These are not supernatural powers that only a few people can master, but they are principles which are sadly ignored in our schooling. We are taught algebra, but not how to balance a checkbook. We are sold everyday on credit, but the fine print is almost illegible, the details of APR’s extremely complex, and most of us aren’t educated on how to deal with credit or debt. We are brought up in an era of planned obsolescence, where everything is replaceable, even our health, and it is easy to sidestep this important responsibility. But all that is so disempowering!
On YOUR path to prosperity, empowerment is an important part of your projection. Darkness attracts darkness and light attracts light. Shine the light on your finances, so that the light of prosperity can flow to you easily, readily and quickly.
Goal setting should be covered by your intentions, however, sometimes it’s best to go through this whole process and then re-look at the goal because of the new light you have shed upon your finances. Maybe your debt is less than you thought once you tallied it. Maybe you have more resources than you realized. Maybe you’ll need to project for a little more. Truth is empowering, and it enables you to clearly ask the Universe for what you need.
Budgeting can be scary to some people, but it is the only way to really understand where, when, and how much money you earn versus spend. Budgeting is not about doing without, it is about being clear about how much you have, how much you can spend, and what your choices are for the wisest way to spend it. It helps us see where we can change habits for the better, and it opens the door for saving to become a reality, even if we think it is impossible. The example of The Latte Factor amazes people again and again – add up how many times you buy a latte (or a coffee or a breakfast burrito, or whatever your particular treat) in one month and add up the exact cost of it. How many times do you eat out? Do you know exactly how much money you spend on clothes? This exercise is extremely empowering because it is enlightening; it makes clear beyond any doubt what our spending and saving habits are.
Even the word can be mortifying, because debt really is a very complex business, where only a very few people profit, and the rest try to figure out how to get out of it. Surveys tell us that most Americans don’t even know how much debt they have, that even more would rather lie than admit how much debt they have, and that the majority of people have feelings of hopelessness, shame, fear, and anger associated with their debt.
We attract what we focus on. It is important – all-important – to really take this bull by the horns and master it so that we are focusing on prosperity, not debt. Truth is empowering.
There is no way out of debt without clear knowledge of it. It is important to know exactly what is owed, to whom, what the interest rates are, and the payment schedules. It is vital to create a clear plan of action to pay it back in the quickest time possible, with the least amount of interest, and clearly within your budget.
Then, once you have figured out the how, set it on automatic, and let it take care of itself. Once you have looked at it, addressed it and set it up, use the world of automatic payment systems so that you no longer need the negative baggage or the negative emotions. You are free from needing to even think or focus on it, thereby empowering yourself to focus on prosperity, wealth, and abundance, so that you may attract them instead of debt.
There are some excellent books in our Resource section below. We invite you to check them out and utilize the help and knowledge available to get out of debt completely.
Saving and investing are the standard tools for the foundation of wealth and financial success. There is a discipline in this that is similar to sadhana. You get up every day for sadhana to strengthen your spirituality, and saving and investing are the sadhana which strengthen financial success. You need savings accounts, investment funds, retirement funds, and possibly even educational funds for children, all of which are separate from your every day operational accounts. Financial security gives us peace of mind. It let’s us think of retirement without fear of survival creeping in. It let’s us take the time to do the things we always promised ourselves we’d do when we didn’t have to work any more. Understanding the world of saving and investing is the path to peace of mind, and freedom, and the financially secure tomorrow we want for ourselves.
It’s as simple as this: Every story of financial success also contains the information about how that person gave back through tithing and philanthropy. When they had less money, they gave less, when they had more money, they gave more. Giving back is the completion of the circle of financial life. We receive, we give, we receive more, we give more…whatever your beliefs, spiritual path or religion, start your tithing program today.
Align your physical environment with your prosperous thinking. It’s important to clear away clutter, to clear out the old so the new can come in. Methodology such as Feng Shui can be helpful in creating a focus in your living space for the prosperity you want to achieve. You can do the same for your workspace, and even your desk. Again, by focusing your energy on the prosperity, you are attracting prosperity.
Here is a brief list of books that can help you in taking on the practical steps for prosperity in your life. There are many more that you can find through your own research, and a great many resources on the internet.
Yogi Bhajan
- The Executive Mind
- The Business Mind
Suze Orman
- The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom
- The Road to Wealth
- The Courage to be Rich
Robert Kiyosaki & Sharon Lechter
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad
Thomas Stanley & William Danko
- The Millionaire Next Door
Wallace Wattles
- The Science of Getting Rich
David Bach
- The Automatic Millionaire
- The ‘Finish Rich’ Series
Jean Chatzky
- Pay it Down!
- The Ten Commandments to Financial Happiness
Glinda Bridgforth
- Girl, Get your Credit Straight
- Girl, Make Your Money Grow
Siri Kirpal Kaur Khalsa
- Yoga for Prosperity
Terah Kathryn Collins Khalsa
- The Western Guide to Feng Shui
Click here to send us a recommendation to add to the list!
Bring your progress to the group
We are growing a Your Path to Prosperity discussion forum. Please bring your experiences, your questions, and your progress to share with others who, like you, are determined to change how prosperity graces their lives.
© 2007 Darshan Kaur Ý Back to Top
Twenty years ago prosperity looked very different for us than it might today. One year ago, one month ago, one week ago prosperity looked different. Our goals change, our ideals change, our values change, and our inspiration changes – some times from day to day. Although we choose goals and signposts to guide us on our path to prosperity, re-evaluation is a constant part of the process and where we go with our prosperity is changing with us. Prosperity is a journey of spiritual development and each day, as we participate in a spiritual practice - do a meditation, a yoga set or a prayer - and process the experiences we garner from them, we change. There is no “there.”
In all facets of our lives, we have to keep up. It is no different on the quest for a more prosperous life. Each day, though we may be confronted with distractions, obstacles, and all the busy aspects of life, keeping up is the focus that allows prosperity to start and keep flowing in our lives. When in a great mood, it’s easy to remember all the positive affirmations, projections and qualities of creating that prosperous life. The real test is to keep it up despite stress, turmoil, a lucky break, a large bill, a sick family member, impatience, or the many other things we can experience and feel.
To this purpose, continued evaluation is essential. Keeping up with exercises is important. It’s easy to forget to see our progression when we are reaching towards even greater goals we haven’t reached yet. But just as we take one step at a time, so do we need to recognize each gradual change we are experiencing in our lives, in our prosperity, in our awareness and projection.
More than ever going over your blessings each day will help you recognize the changes that are happening on all levels, subtle, pragmatic or otherwise. Keep up with the Attitude of Gratitude, keep doing your prosperity meditation, keep logging your process, your thoughts, any hurdles you bump against, and your progress. Read through it frequently and acknowledge the changes you are going through.
We embark upon a Path of Change, and then we start changing! And that can baffle and confound those around us who may not be as prepared or excited about the changes we have made as we are ourselves. This is a critical subject and concern, because if we are not aware
1) that it could happen,
2) that it could produce negative energy in a place we expected support, and
3) that it could even turn into other things like camouflaged sabotage
we could be in for surprises that could make us lose our equilibrium, momentum, and the positive strides we have made on the Path to Prosperity.
Proactive is the word here. It is natural for people to reflect upon their own situations when someone around them is changing. Here are some proactive steps you might consider taking:
a) Look at your life and be real about your relationships.
b) Discuss your plans for the prosperity program, and possibly even some of the processes you are or might be going through.
c) Share with people what you expect from them, and make sure they are ok with your expectations, that they feel they can provide you with the support you are seeking.
d) Let the people in your life know that your processes may trigger stuff in them, but that you want to be equally supportive and that you are trusting them to talk to you about things so that no negativity need arise between you.
If it happens? If your Path to Prosperity is an important personal investment of your time and space, if it is truth for you, you need to stick to it. It might mean taking more personal space from someone who is negative about it, until you can work things out. It might mean developing a support group that is not in your immediate circle of acquaintance. It might mean not sharing these experiences with people who are uncomfortable with the changes. Whatever it means, by knowing your own personal truth and sticking to it, and by meditating on your circles of interaction, you will intrinsically understand what actions you need to take to stay on course.
Support systems, internal and external, are like the vitamins of keeping up. Your commitment to the process is big, keeping up is big – and support systems are important to have in place because life is not a straight line. There are ups and downs, and we are pulled every which way in life. Being able to laugh or cry is a real blessing in the processes of change in life.
And, of course, although we want and expect support from certain people in our lives, there is, as described in the last section, not always the support we expect from them. Creating a support system is as big as all the other parts on our Path to Prosperity, and very personal, too. You have to know what works as support; what may work for one, might not work for another person. Here are some different examples of what might be helpful while traveling the Path of Change in your life:
External Support Systems
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Finding a support person in the way of a prosperity pal/partner on the adventure
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Making a time commitment to meet with your prosperity partner, to discuss, meditate or share
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Sharing with friends, family, or partners who are on a similar path
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Creating and participating in a support group
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Participating in positive reinforcement events
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Teaching what you have learned so far to someone else
Internal Support Systems
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Be committed. If you say you will do it, then do it. Do not allow yourself reasons, excuses or any other means of breaking your commitment.
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If, however, something were to come up, pick yourself right up and keep going. Don’t give up your momentum, step right back into place and move onward. Forget guilt, it’s a time-waster.
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A strong personal sadhana (daily spiritual discipline) and keeping up with your daily prosperity meditation are incredibly valuable.
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Make no mistake, the subconscious and unconscious minds, the ego and many other elements of our personalities are likely to pop up and offer us many, many reasons to stop what we are doing. But who’s the boss here? If you’re the boss, ignore them, kick them out, do whatever it takes to get rid of them and keep going.
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Other supportive meditations (i.e. for strength, courage, keeping up, Breathwalk™, etc.)
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Deep silent meditation
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Mantra/chanting
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Walking, or other forms of physical exercise