Updated insider information by Chellie Campbell, author of “The Wealthy Spirit: Daily Affirmations for Financial Stress Reduction”

125-May 5

“I waited and waited, and when no message came, I knew it must be from you.”—Ashleigh Brilliant

Patience.

I am patient.

I am patient.

I am P-A-T-I-E-N-T.

“He also serves who only stands and waits.”

I can wait my turn.

I can W-A-I-T.

I have patience.

God has three answers to prayers:

“Yes,” “Not now,” and “I have something better for you.”

Of the three, “Not now” is the toughest one.

Not now. Okay.

WHEN?

“Good things come to him who waits.”

I am waiting.

AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!

WAIT.

Wait.

Wait.

Sometimes it seems, when we’ve been sending out a lot of ships, but none are coming in, that all our dreams are on the “slow boat to China.” Don’t lose faith; don’t lose hope. The ships are sailing; you just can’t see them. If they’re not in sight yet, it’s because they’re not supposed to be. This is the process by which human beings develop patience, faith, and trust. All things are working together for your good.

You are in charge of sending ships out. You are not in charge of when they come in.

Today’s Affirmation: “All things seen and unseen are working for my good.”

I learned patience at the poker table.

As much as I love to be in the action, betting and raising and pushing all-in, figuring out other players – how they play and what they have, moving my chips around, and having a high time of it all, there are times when you are just “card dead”. That means instead of great hands like Aces, Kings, Queens, and the like, the two cards you are dealt are a series of miserable looking 9-2, 8-3, King-3, and Jack-6.

You can’t play them. You have to wait. And waiting is so irritating!

A poker teacher once wrote that the first poker lesson should be “Go outside and watch the grass grow for 2 hours.” And the second lesson would be “Go outside and watch the grass grow for 4 hours.”

Argh.

Getting frustrated is so easy. And so wrong. It won’t make you get better cards. It will make you tempted to play badly. It will make you picture the outcome you DON’T want, instead of visualizing the outcome you DO want. Classic Law of Attraction. So then you get a pair of threes and think they’re Aces, overplay your hand, and lose.

This is what people do in business, too. They are sending out their ships, marketing their product or service, and getting frustrated when the ships don’t come in right now. There’s a lull, and nobody says “Yes, yes, I want to buy that!” They start looking at their bills and getting anxious that they won’t be able to pay them. They look ahead and think, “What if nobody ever buys from me again? What am I going to do about the house payment? How am I going to pay for my daughter’s braces?”

They start visualizing what they DON’T want instead of what they DO want. That’s when they start doing bad sales, pitching to people who aren’t interested, looking desperate. Classic.

Wait. Have faith. Have patience. Visualize your ships sailing into your harbor, unloading treasure at your dock. They’re coming. They’re just beyond the horizon. Visualize. Trust. Believe. Smile. Thank God for your treasure BEFORE you see it. Believing is seeing.

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Updated insider information by Chellie Campbell, author of “The Wealthy Spirit: Daily Affirmations for Financial Stress Reduction”

124-May 4

“A deficit is what you have when you haven’t got as much as you had when you had nothing.”—Gerald F. Lieberman

People with debts often ask me if they should pay them all off before starting to save money for the future. Most financial planners and accountants point to the fact that it’s not financially smart to be saving money and only earning 5 to 8 percent on the money when you could reduce debt that is costing you 15 to 25 percent. This certainly makes mathematical sense.

But mathematical sense is not the only thing that should be considered here. Human beings are complex creatures, and habit and emotions play a significant role in behavior.

Studies repeatedly show that Americans don’t save much of their income. Consumer spending accounts for two-thirds of the economy, and consumer debt continues to rise. The endemic habit is to spend a lot, save a little, and go deeper in debt. To change this habit, new behavior is required. So my suggestion is to start saving now, even if you are in debt, because you need to begin the savings habit. It may take you longer and cost you additional interest to do it this way, but in the long run you will profit from it.

(continued on page 124 of The Wealthy Spirit)

Today’s Affirmation: “I save money happily and responsibly!”

Ah, well, it’s fun to read that when I wrote this, circa 1998-9, savings rates were 5-8 percent. Wow, wouldn’t we like to get that now?

Circumstances change. You’re lucky if you get 2% today. But then, mortgage rates were higher, too, in the 7-8% range, whereas now I’ve seen them advertised as low as 2.99%.

The point is that you have to stay attuned to changes in the economy. What was a good investment last year can be a bad investment this year. You need a financial planner to assist you in deciding the best investments for your age and portfolio. When you’re younger, you can take advantage of higher paying investments that have a higher risk factor. When you’re older, you need more conservative investments to assure you that you’ll have money to live on in cas you get to that point where you can’t or don’t want to work any more.

The changes in the economy have resulted in our local, state, and national budgets being out of whack. Mandates for government spending and pensions for government employees that were made in boom times are difficult to fund during down times, and there are calls for radical changes and budget cuts. Everyone gets upset over threats to their financial piece of the pie. Voters are asked to cast their ballot for the cuts they prefer.

The problem is that the voters are asked to make budget decisions on individual cuts in spending without taking into consideration the whole picture. It’s impossible to do this and come out with a budget everyone can agree with. I think that the entire budget should always be included in the voters’ pamphlets so that you know exactly what is being preserved and what is being sacrificed. No one can make an adequate decision unless they have this information.

Instead, all we get are the politicians arguing for their fiefdom. And since they are all funded in their campaigns by big business, where do you think their common interests lie? Our tax system is a mess. Health insurance is a bigger mess. People are paying exorbitant amounts for medical insurance and costs keep rising because health insurance is a for-profit business and they make the most money by NOT serving their customer. Putting a national health care plan in their hands is just about the worst financial decision our government can make. Now there’s talk about ending Medicare and just giving seniors vouchers so they can buy their own insurance. Good luck with that.

It’s time for everyone to learn about budgeting and saving – for themselves and for their governments. Be informed, be diligent, and make your voices heard. We the people still have the power of the vote, but we’d better be informed citizens so we can vote for the right things.

Just sayin’.

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Updated insider information by Chellie Campbell, author of “The Wealthy Spirit: Daily Affirmations for Financial Stress Reduction”

123-May 3

“Remember that there is nothing stable in human affairs; therefore avoid undue elation in prosperity, or undue depression in adversity.”—Socrates

You might remember the story of Joseph in the Bible, how he was sold into slavery by his brothers and taken to Egypt. After his misadventures with Potiphar’s wife, he was thrown into prison. But there he was discovered to have a talent for interpreting dreams. After several amazing interpretations, which later came true, word of his special talent eventually spread to the palace.

The Pharaoh had been having a terrible recurring dream. In this dream, he saw seven fat cows feeding in the grass, but then seven gaunt and starving cows came up after them and ate them. He also saw seven healthy ears of wheat, but they, like the cows, were swallowed up by seven ears that were withered and blighted. The Pharaoh was very disturbed. He felt a portent of doom was being shown to him, but he didn’t know what it meant. When he heard about Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams, he sent for him immediately.

Joseph had only to hear the Pharaoh tell the story and he knew what was afoot. He explained to the Pharaoh that the dream foretold seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine and advised the Pharaoh to take one-fifth of the bounty from the first seven years and store it away against the need in the second seven years.

Even in ancient Egypt you had to budget—and save for a rainy day (or drought, as the case might be). Nothing much has changed. We regularly have economic expansions, followed by recessions. Yet we don’t seem to store 20 percent of our grain for the lean years. We use credit cards—even when the economy is booming. During the economic expansion from 1995 to 1999, Newsweek reported, consumer debt rose 34 percent to about $6.2 trillion. If you go into debt during the fat years, who is storing grain for the lean years?

Today’s Affirmation: “I am a wonderful saver and investor, and store up plenty during plentiful times!”

Still today, our economy cycles through seasons of lack and seasons of plenty. As I’ve tracked it, it seems like 10 year cycles. I remember the recessions in the early 70s, 80s, 90s, and 00s. These downturns were always followed by upturns and the economy soared once again.

Somehow, during times of plenty, it feels like the good times have come to stay: We made it through the storm, survived, and now we’re doing great again and we’ve finally got it! We’re successful and we’re going to be on top forever!! We think.

That’s why people start charging up their credit cards again – they’ve been on Low Budget and now there’s more money and they want to splurge on High Budget. They’re free to do some of the things they couldn’t do when money was tight.

That’s fine. You should have some spree money when the economy loosens up. But you’ve got to carefully figure how much and for how long. Otherwise you get caught up in a new habit of spending and forget to store up your grain for the lean years.

Do not mistake it – there will be lean years come again. Have fun, enjoy your money, have the good life. Just make sure to have some reserves – cash, stocks, real estate, bonds, and other investments.

A zero balance on your credit card doesn’t count as a reserve.

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Updated insider information by Chellie Campbell, author of “The Wealthy Spirit: Daily Affirmations for Financial Stress Reduction”

122-May 2

“Winning is not a sometime thing—it’s an all the time thing. You don’t win once in a while; you don’t do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time.”—Vince Lombardi

People often ask me, “How long do I have to send out ships?” I answer, “How long do you want to eat?”

You can’t ever stop sending out ships. The Universe, that big “Yes” machine, gets confused if you do. It thinks you don’t want any more good to come into your harbor, so it stops sending ships in if you stop sending ships out.

For example, let’s say you are madly sending ships out every day. You’re working in the flow on a daily basis. You send out ships—then send out more ships. The next day, even more ships. Every so often, you check the horizon for ships coming in. But no ships. So, you go back to work sending out more ships. Again you check the horizon: No ships. You send out ships, send out ships, check the horizon: No ships.

(Continued on page 122 of The Wealthy Spirit)

Today’s Affirmation: “A lot more money is coming to me today—and I deserve it!”

Like most speakers, teachers, and seminar leaders, I just adore doing the work, speaking to people who are hungry to learn and improve their lives, watching them try new strategies, helping them past the rough parts, and succeed in accomplishing their dreams. It’s heady stuff!

Like every entrepreneur who wants everyone to buy their product or service, every workshop leader I know hungers for full classes. But it doesn’t happen by magic. Engaging with the public, public relations, advertising , marketing and sales are what fill workshops and every business with customers. This is the real work of any business. I call it “Sending out ships.”

It’s easy to be excited and think if you just place an ad in a newspaper or online, or go to a networking group and pass out your brochure, that soon your phone will be ringing off the hook with people clamoring to buy your offering. But it’s a cumulative effort over time that fills your client list and your coffers.

In a recent telecourse, I had a total of 17 people enrolled. It’s instructive to see how they first heard about me:

5 through speaking engagements

5 through my book The Wealthy Spirit

2 through networking groups

5 through a referral.

Most of them are on my email list, and 3 read my blog and let me know they were interested through Facebook. I closed one through 1shoppingcart after I gave a free teleclass; everyone else I closed on the telephone: 7 called me and I called 9 (more than once).

Time from first contact to sale: 6 within 1 week, 4 within 3 years, and 7 after more than 3 years!

One woman called me the night before the workshop and introduced herself saying that she had met me 8 years before at Worthwhile Referral Sources (a fabulous networking group in the Los Angeles are that I have belonged to since 1986. www.worthwhilereferralsources.com) and asked if I was still teaching that workshop? She and her husband signed up.

Consistency is everything. Never stop sending out ships. Your ships are still out there, circling the harbor. Maybe they were delayed by a hurricane, or becalmed in still waters. Maybe they got lost or sprung a leak and had to make repairs.

But one day they’ll come sailing in, laden with treasures to unload at your dock. So don’t give up the ship!

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Updated insider information by Chellie Campbell, author of “The Wealthy Spirit: Daily Affirmations for Financial Stress Reduction”

121-May 1

“Waiting until everything is perfect before making a move is like waiting to start a trip until all the traffic lights are green.”—Karen Ireland

John had a big ship out there, sailing the ocean with all of his dreams aboard.

Just one problem: Just one ship.

We met for lunch one afternoon and he explained his situation. He had a fabulous idea for a product. I thought it was great. So did the major corporation that had received his proposal.

But now the deal was stalled and John was running out of money.

“What other corporations have you talked to?” I inquired.

John looked at me, surprised. “Well, none, of course,” he said, matter-of-factly.

“Why ever not?” I exclaimed.

“But this corporation has said they’re interested!” he protested. “It would be unethical of me to go to someone else!”

“John, have they paid you any money?”

“No.”

“Have they signed a contract with you?”

“No.”

“Have they told you when they’re going to pay you or sign you?”

“No.”

“Then there is no agreement, no contract, and you are not ethically bound to them in any way. What you need to do is contact many corporations and get as much interest in your project as possible. If this corporation thinks they might lose the deal to another company, they will take action. But now they have no reason for them to put this deal at the top of their priority list.”

John understood it then. He had put a lot of work into finding a company that was interested. He didn’t want to keep working that hard to find more companies that might buy his idea. It was easier to hope that this deal would pan out. He got caught in the “wishing-hoping-waiting game.” He needed to keep on sending out ships, or he could starve waiting for that one to come in. One is not enough.

Get another ship in the water.

Today’s Affirmation: “The more ships I send out, the more ships come in, the more money I make!”

“I think I’d better wait until I have more money before I…”

Fill in the blank:

…get an assistant

…expand my office

…take a business class

…hire another employee

…take a salary for myself

So how long have you been waiting for the extra money to just show up?

Let me give you a tip:

More money doesn’t appear in your life until you make the commitment to your next level of growth by investing money in it.

When you put money on it, the Universe takes you seriously.

I’m not talking about going into debt to fund a frivolous trip to the Bahamas or a shopping spree with designer labels you can’t afford. That’s consumer debt – Bad Debt.

I’m talking about Good Debt. Good Debt is the money you leverage to make an investment in your business growth and prosperity.

The owner of a $3 million a year manufacturing plant told a group of small business owners this: “In order to grow your business you’re going to have to get used to bigger and bigger negative numbers.”

Gulp. A few sage business owners nodded while everyone else blanched white at that bald statement.

But it’s true.

Bill Gates didn’t build Microsoft on his personal savings.

And Stephen Spielberg doesn’t finance his own movies.

They use OPM. Other People’s Money.

They borrow money from banks, get loans from friends or family, or get a group of investors to pool their resources to finance growth.

Meanwhile, many small business owners are trying to build their businesses without investing enough money in professional advice: coaching, legal, accounting, intellectual property protections, etc.

They get trapped by the idea that you shouldn’t be in debt. That debt is a bad thing.

But that only applies to Bad Debt. The talking heads in the media are speaking to the average American wage-earner, who are locked into a financial limitation called their salary. They’re talking about consumer debt, not business building debt.

Good Debt is borrowing money to grow your business exponentially so that your business grows and is making much more money after making the investment.

Last year, a small business owner I spoke with about my Financial Stress Reduction® telecourse wanted to attend – but didn’t want to incur any more debt.

“Would it be okay if I paid you in installments of $50 a month?” she asked.

I said, “How is a debt to me different than a debt to your credit card company? Charge it to your card and pay them $50 a month. They’re in the business of lending money and I’m not. Besides, after taking the class you’ll probably be able to pay it all off right away.”

“You’re absolutely right, Chellie,” she agreed, and charged it to her card.

At the time, she had 10 clients and her goal was to have 20. When she finished the course 8 weeks later, she had 23 clients! Not only could she afford to pay off the cost of the course on her credit card, but the increase in her income meant she could pay off every other debt and have all the goodies in life she desired, too.

Good Debt is an investment of your money in training that will help you make more money.

Jack Canfield once told me, “If what you know now was enough, you’d already be where you want to go.”

If you’re happy with your current results, keep on doing what you’re doing.

But if you sense that you should be making a lot more money, a healthier profit, that work shouldn’t be so all-consuming or so hard, the Financial Stress Reduction® Workshop may be just the guidance and support you’re looking for. For more than 20 years, I have been helping small business owners master their money and propel their businesses to the next level of success and prosperity.

The next Financial Stress Reduction® teleclasses begin Monday, May 6 from 5:00 – 7:00 pm (PT), Tuesday, May 7 from noon – 2:00 pm (PT), and Wednesday, May 8 from 5:00 – 7:00 pm (PT).  So if you’re ready to learn how to be more profitable in your business, master the art of easy sales, and still have time off to enjoy life – you will save $500 if you register now!

You can read the details of the course, testimonials, and register right now at http://www.chellie.com/financial-stress-reduction-telecourse-information.html

Seats for the next sessions are filling fast. I’d love for you to join us and make sure that 2013 is absolutely heaven for you. I can’t wait to share with you every secret I have learned on how to make big money doing what you love, so that you can enjoy the good life right now. You deserve it!

Yeah, I know –  you want to wait until you’re making more money before you spend the money for the class. But isn’t that like waiting until you’re well before you go see the doctor?

Think about it.

Then call me at 310-476-1622 and we’ll figure out a way to get you the help you need now!

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“If you want to leave footprints in the sands of time, wear work boots.”—Anonymous

I have three rules for making money:

1.     Do what makes money now.

2.     Do what makes money soon.

3.     Do what makes money later.

This is of primary importance if you are in sales or own your own business (then you’re in sales too). The primary responsibility of a business is to be profitable and the primary responsibility of a salesperson is to bring in the money. Without sales, there is no money. If there is no money, there will be no business.

You need immediate money to survive. It’s no good spending all your time working on the big project that won’t materialize for a year if you have don’t have the money to survive until that big deal comes through. It’s okay to be building the big battleship, but you’d better make sure you have lots of little canoes going out in the meantime. On a weekly basis, I suggest spending 60 percent of your time on your daily bread and butter sales, 20 percent on mid-range sales, and 20 percent on the big deal that may take a long time to close.

Do what makes money first. Everything else is administrivia.

Today’s Affirmation: “I am richly paid for the fun work I do!”

Today’s guest blog post is from my friend and coach, Jamee Tenzer. She sent the following article in her newsletter this week. I thought it was great, and wanted to pass it along to you.

Finding More Time, Just Like Magic

Complete this sentence; I would love to do more “X,” but I just don’t have the time.  This is a favorite of the working mom.  We are (after all) busy and sometimes over-scheduled.  And, we perceive ourselves to have time for certain activities while having to put other pursuits on the back burner.  And, at the rate we’re going that back burner isn’t getting turned on until we’re pushing 80.

Case in point; one of my clients decided a few years ago that she has no time to read.  This is a minor source of disappointment for her, so I asked her about the decision and learned that she has gathered very impressive evidence to back her argument including; with a job and two children she’s too tired to read, a book takes so long to get through at her very slow rate it’s not worth it and if she’s going to be reading, she feels she should be reading something that is useful for her profession.  This sounds pretty convincing, don’t you think?

But, how much of this is perception?  Are all of her reasons still true?  Or were they true when she made the decision, but now out of date?  I asked her to imagine that she had never made that decision about reading.  I asked her to throw out her reasons and start fresh.  The first thing that happened was she realized she didn’t have a book that she was excited about reading.

That was an eye opener.  Most of us have had that delicious feeling of being so involved in a book, we can’t WAIT to get back to it.  She needed to have a book like that sitting on her bedside table instead of the MBA’s Guide to Managing Upward.  So she went to her local library – someplace she had not been to in a decade – and found a book that she thought she would enjoy.  She reported that it had been so long since she had picked up a fun, sexy, (dare I say “trashy?”) novel she almost felt like she was sneaking it home.  And like a child who is looking at a plastic pumpkin full of candy on Halloween, she couldn’t wait to devour it.

Here’s an added bonus; when she went to the library, she took her children and everyone got a book.  After they checked out their books, they checked into the local Starbucks for cookies, juice, coffee and some quiet reading time.  30 minutes later she was 20 pages into her book and hooked.  Within 2 weeks, they were back to the library for more.

So what happened here?  Her life circumstances didn’t change at all, but she suddenly was inspired to make time for reading.  Instead of telling herself there was not time, she found a reason for making the time, and it showed up.  Kind of like magic, but you and I can create this kind of magic daily.

Coach Me Quick Tips for finding more time:

Identify something you “wish you had time for.”

Write down all the reasons you “don’t have that time.”

Now, allow yourself to adopt the attitude that you do have time.  Imagine that something has changed and you now get to take time for this activity.  Once you have accepted that reality temporarily, list all of the reasons you do have the time.

Take a look at the list of reasons why you do have the time to do your chosen activity.  Could you create any of these?  Do you see a new possibility?

Stay open.  Life changes every minute and if you don’t get stuck in old decisions, reasons and beliefs, you will find more time to do what you love in life

Staying open to the possibilities,

Jamee

Jamee Tenzer, PCC is a professional certified life and executive coach for working women and mothers. After 3 to 6 months of coaching, new careers are born, closets are cleaned, weekends open up and personal time reappears. To schedule a complimentary session contact:Jamee@jameetenzer.com or follow Jamee on Twitter: jameetenzer

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Updated insider information by Chellie Campbell, author of “The Wealthy Spirit: Daily Affirmations for Financial Stress Reduction”

119-April 29

“Everybody is creative and everybody is talented. I just don’t think everybody is disciplined. That’s a rare commodity.”—Al Hirschfeld

A friend of mine once met Al Hirschfeld for lunch and had a wonderful visit with him. He remembers that at precisely one o’clock, Hirschfeld looked at his watch, and excused himself to go back to work. His discipline supported him to become a successful, famous artist.

a

What is the structure and discipline that supports your work? I always tell people that the workshop business is a very simple business supported by three basic activities:

1.      I network and speak in order to meet lots of people = Marketing the service

2.      I follow up with the people I met = Selling the service

3.      I teach the workshop = Providing the service

These are the ships that I send out. If my activities each week consist mainly of these three items, I know I will be successful and each workshop will be full. Everything else I do is basically support “administrivia.” But I can’t allow myself to get lost in the paperwork shuffle. Paperwork is just an avoidance technique.

Focus on the activities that bring you the money. Find your structure and the discipline to work it. For me, “The money is in the phone”—where is your money?

Today’s Affirmation: “Easily and effortlessly, my discipline supports my success!”

It’s really a bummer for me when administrivia bogs me down. The worst thing of all is when machinery I depend on breaks down and requires repairs and maintenance.

So Wednesday, I got in my car to go to an appointment, and it was dead as a doornail. Nothing. So I borrowed my roommate’s pretty red Jag, and drove off to Pacific Palisades. Gorgeous sunny California picture postcard day! Made a deposit at the bank, got back in the Jag…and it wouldn’t start!

Now what is the likelihood of our two cars going kaput on the same day?? I call that bad car-ma!

Okay, so I went into the bank to tell them I had to leave my car in their 15-minute spot while I had my appointment and would be back to call the Auto Club in an hour. They were lovely and wished me luck.

Denise Edwards at Lilese Salon refurbished my nails and painted them gold with sparkles just like I like them. When I was done, I walked back to the bank, called the triple A, and waited for the truck.

Ricky showed up, a stocky Latino full of good cheer, and started up the Jag, after first shaking his head and saying, “Don’t buy this car. Too many problems.” He made me laugh.

I asked him if he could follow me down Sunset Boulevard to my house in Brentwood where I had another car that needed a jump start. You should have seen the incredulous look on his face as I explained that. But he said it was out of his area, so I just said, “Okay, I’ll put in another call when I get home.”

I called triple A, they said, “Didn’t you just call?” and I said, “Yes, I did…” and explained the situation.

Guess who showed up? Yep. Ricky.

He grinned at me sheepishly and checked out the car. He said, “I found the problem.”

“What?” I asked.

“The driver,” he said.

“Uh, oh,” I said, “what did I do?”

Turns out if you leave the trunk open, there are lights in there, and the battery gets drained. Duh.

So while my car battery was being charged, Ricky and I had a great conversation about the pursuit of money vs the pursuit of happiness. He told me of a friend who worked so hard for 12 years he never saw his family. Ricky thought that was crazy. He saw my books in the trunk of my car, so I gave him a copy of “The Wealthy Spirit” which he insisted I autograph for him. It was my pleasure.

Turned out to be a great day!

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Updated insider information by Chellie Campbell, author of “The Wealthy Spirit: Daily Affirmations for Financial Stress Reduction”

117-April 27

“Writing is like anything else. You fall, you pick yourself up, and you try again. When you’re discouraged, you eat ice cream.”—Anna Quindlen

It’s time to write now. I’m going to write. I stare at the blank page. Blank page. White. Snow. Weather. I wonder what the weather’s doing today. Cold. My hands are cold. Think I’ll go downstairs and get a cup of coffee to warm up my hands. Trudge, trudge down the rust carpeted steps, click, click, click my shoes tap on the kitchen tiles. Make coffee. Look around kitchen. Notice dishes and dirt—no fun, ignore. Notice newspaper—ahhh, maybe something interesting to write about in the newspaper. A good activity, research. Valuable. I’ll do that.

Thirty minutes later: Feeling too guilty to continue reading paper. I should be writing! Back to the stairs, click, click, back up the stairs trudge, trudge. Blank page.

The phone rings! Saved by the bell! Hello? No, thanks, I don’t want to change my long distance carrier. Disappointment. Phone in hand, I want to talk to somebody. Who’d be fun to talk to? I know, I’ll call my friend, Carol. Nope, she’s not home, how about Susan? Hey, Susan, how’s doin’?

(Continued on page 117 of The Wealthy Spirit)

Today’s Affirmation: “I am inspired by my creative vision every day!”

Once a month, I hold a Money Mastery Network mastermind group at my house. Composed of graduates of my Financial Stress Reduction® Workshops, they are all incredibly talented, smart, creative entrepreneurs as well as loving, kind, and caring friends. I’ve run this group for probably 15 years or so, and people tend to stay for years at a time.

Since I don’t take more than 12 people, I always have a waiting list. One meeting, Lynne and Sandra were talking about how they waited for their space for a long time, and when the call came “there’s a space if you want it” they jumped at it.

Whoever is participating in the group at any particular time, it is always magical. The deep love and support we have for each other allows each member to be completely authentic, share freely from the well of their creativity, work out problems, cry over tragedies, and get the most intelligent, loving feedback imaginable.

One member of our group, Lynne Azpeitia, is a psychotherapist and coach who specializes in working with gifted and creative adultswww.gifted-adults.com. When she gives her feedback, we all listen intently because she’ll point out to us certain behaviors we are exhibiting that are typical of gifted people.

For example, someone asked how you would go about finding a good networking group when there are so many. I responded, “Google ‘networking in Los Angeles’, see what shows up that looks interesting, and go to the meeting. While you’re there, watch how people behave, how you feel in the room and see if it’s a fit. Then look for the warmest, friendliest, happy, successful looking dolphin-type person at the meeting and ask them where else they network. Then go to those meetings.”

Everyone thought that was a great idea, and Lynne jumped in to tell me that was a great piece of advice and should go into an article or a book. As I made a note about it, she said, “That’s your genius, Chellie – these things just flow naturally from you. Gifted people aren’t always aware of the things they say and do that are special because it’s normal for them. They think everyone has ideas like that.”

I looked at her and laughed, “Lynne, what a brilliant marketing niche you have invented. All your clients get to feel like they are gifted, creative, and a genius! I sure love getting feedback like that.”

How do your clients feel about being a member of your community? If the answer isn’t “special”, “privileged” and “creative”, you might want to rethink your branding. My people are proud to be “Dolphins”.

If you are a graduate of the Financial Stress Reduction® Workshop living in the Los Angeles area and would like to apply for  membership in our group, email me at chellie@chellie.com. If you live outside of Los Angeles, I now have a Diamond Dolphins mastermind group as a continuation program following my 8-week Financial Stress Reduction Telecourse.  I’m really excited to be working with my fabulous Dolphins to continue growing their business, make more money, do more good, and have more fun!

My next 8-week telecourses are beginning the week of May 7th. Each class meets once a week for two hours for 8 weeks. For details, go to http://www.chellie.com/financial-stress-reduction-telecourse-information.html
then call me for your $500 discount coupon at 310-476-1622.

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Updated insider information by Chellie Campbell, author of “The Wealthy Spirit: Daily Affirmations for Financial Stress Reduction”

116-April 26

“In the kingdom of hope there is no winter.”—Russian Proverb

Once upon a time in the Land of Milk and Honey, Love and Money lived together in peace and harmony, spreading joy and riches everywhere they went. Everyone in the country was rich, inside and out. Happiness shone on their faces and they praised God for their good fortune. In the natural order of things, Love and Money had many children: Kindness, Beauty, Appreciation, Generosity, Creativity, Grace, and Focus. They, too, bestowed their gifts on the people, who treasured them in return.

The evil Witch of Lack and Lamentation hated the Land of Milk and Honey. She was invisible there. She cursed and screamed and jumped up and down but people just walked past her smiling. You can imagine how frustrating this was. She gnashed her teeth whenever she thought about Love and Money. “How dare they banish me from their kingdom!” she cried. “I haven’t been able to give away a poisoned apple there in decades!”

She fumed over the situation with a black heart, but couldn’t figure out how to get the people of the Land of Milk and Honey to see her. Frustrated, she called a conference of her friends Anger, Envy, Lust, Greed, Sloth, Despair, and Poverty to discuss the problem. She asked each one if they were able to enter the hearts and minds of the people of the Land of Milk and Honey. But they were invisible there, too, and no one paid them any mind at all. The meeting was disintegrating into fights and arguments, when a quiet voice at the back of the room broke in. “I can help you,” said Distraction. “I am only sometimes visible there, but if we await the right opportunities, we can strike the people together.”

And so they did. Distraction waited in the streets of the Land of Milk and Honey for the children of Love and Money. When Kindness stubbed his toe and yelled “Ouch!” Distraction introduced him to Anger. When Beauty bumped into a prettier girl, he presented her to Envy. When Appreciation accidentally caught sight of a woman bathing in the lake, Distraction brought over Lust. He introduced Generosity to Greed, Creativity to Sloth and Grace to Despair. And suddenly the Witch of Lack and Lamentation was visible all over town. Unable to cope with their children’s turmoil, Love and Money got divorced and went their separate ways.

But try as he might, Distraction was never able to introduce Focus to Poverty. They screamed and yelled, threw stones and rolled in the dust at his feet, but Focus refused to look at them. “I have no thought to spare for you!” Focus cried. “I’m busy with dreams and goals I want to pursue!” Focus started an Internet business, milkandhoney.com, to distribute food and drink to the masses, employed all his brothers and sisters, and retired a billionaire to his castle on the hill. At Focus’ home, Love and Money were reconciled, and their children danced joyfully. They vowed to forever work with Focus, and they all lived happily ever after.

Today’s Affirmation: “The more I focus on success, the more love and money are mine!”

It’s a bit odd how creativity works. When writing this book, I had in mind that I would teach by story – all the master gurus taught by telling tales and parables: Jesus, Buddha, Sufi masters, etc. Stories are memorable and infused with emotion, have a twist or unique ending, and make a point that is remembered long after all the “to do” lists are forgotten.

Still, it surprised me when a poem would flow out, or this Land of Milk and Honey story. It was fun writing it, and I was quite partial to the character of the Wicked Witch of Lack and Lamentation who made me laugh. She’s a classic Angry Tuna, frustrated and complaining, until she’s helped to take action by Distraction and morphs into a true Shark.

But Focus wins the day. He could also have been named Determination, or Discipline, or Follow-Through. Ultimately, it is that quality that unites all the others and creates success. Without it, all are doomed.

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