NEVER TOO LATE FOR A RICH LIFE!

It’s never too late to Be What You Might Have Been.”

This quote by George Eliot could inspire the perfect affirmative prayer for your life.  Some suggestions:

Now is the perfect time to reclaim an old dream.

Now is the perfect time to create true abundance.

Now is the perfect time to find new love.

Eliot’s quote so intrigued inspirational journalist B.J. Gallagher that she wrote It’s Never Too Late To Be What You Might Have Been (Viva Editions 2009) about people who have made dreams like this come true, no matter their age or initial financial situation.

In a recent interview by Adrienne Crew of LA Observed, Gallagher offers three skills that can help all of us live a life that matters:

1. Flexibility – to thrive in today’s wild world of information you must learn to dance on quicksand.
2. Resiliency – the ability to bounce back, recover from setbacks and disappointments, and navigate some really rocky, turbulent, psychic terrain.
3. Willingness and ability to learn – new skills, new habits, new kinds of coworkers, new technology, and much more.

Willingness to learn was key to my movement from a lonely single woman in Washington DC (a city internationally famous for its shortage of straight, single men) to meeting my soulmate John Sullivan when I was almost 40. Flexibility and resilience have been key to surviving many hard times in our almost 26-year marriage, particularly financial challenges.

Here, from BJ’s book, are my 3 tips for finding and keeping love after 40.  All apply to work and money as well as love:

1. Be true to yourself–that’s where you meet people from.
2. Have at least two or three people in your life who know the real you. They will help you see the goodness in yourself and call you on your bullsh*t.
3. Laugh a lot. If possible, choose in-laws [co-workers, clients, bosses, etc.] who laugh a lot.

What are your own keys to a rich life — even if others think it’s too late?  Please add your thoughts by clicking on the tiny word “comment” just below this post.

Blessings of integrity, purpose, great joy and lots of laughter.

Pat McHenry Sullivan

What Madoff and Others Can Never Steal from You

“We had most of our money invested with Bernie Madoff,” a friend recently said.  Rather than be stuck in anger or blame, my friend had never looked more alive, as he worked to make the best of a difficult situation and grow from it.

Isn’t it marvelous to have friends like this! Rather than moan and grown about how awful it is, they talk about how the current financial mess can be a catalyst to something better — like better discernment tools for investing in what is honest and really matters to us.

Meister Eckhart’s prayer, “If the only prayer you can say is ‘thank you,’ that is enough” gets quoted a lot in hard times.

Maybe the only honest thanks at first are “thanks for the clarity about what is painful in my life!” That prayer can easily turn to “thanks for the knowledge that I’m not alone,” which can lead to “thanks for all the role models who have transcended something awful and now glow with new life.”

Recently, inspirational speaker and author Matt Weinstein created a brilliant video telling how he was on vacation in Antarctica when his wife, author Geneen Roth, called to say that Bernie Madoff — with whom they had invested their life savings– had been arrested. Unable to get home until the scheduled trip was over, Weinstein had to work out his anger among new friends, a stunning landscape, and penguins on whom he could easily project the face of Madoff.

Then Weinstein recalled the great Greek stoic philosopher, Epictetus (55-135 C.E.), who taught that happiness can only be found by ceasing worry about things we can’t control and celebrating what we can do.

Even if you’ve never had investments that have gone south or been stolen, check out Weinstein’s insights on what Madoff (or anyone else) can never take away.

What values can never be taken away from you?

How can the eternal value that flows through you help you meet your own money, work or other challenges gracefully? As always, many blessings. Your comments are welcome, and please come back again real soon.

Pat McHenry Sullivan copyright 2009

Dollar Bill Wisdom

When you are open to it, spiritual wisdom for money and work are everywhere. Comedian Chris Rock once joked that they’d taken God out of the workplace and out of the government. Finally he found God right in his pocket.

This doesn’t have to mean that we worship money. The dollar bill is filled with wisdom that can help us have a better relationship with money, including having more money and a more sustainable, just economy — even in a recession.

The wisdom of the dollar bill starts with the history of the vision that guided our country’s founding. Long before there was any hope of creating a United States, people dared to speak openly about their dream of human rights in countries that were then ruled by powerful kings who thought they ruled by divine right. That hope led to the more audacious hope of a successful revolution by American colonists against England, then the most powerful nation in the world.

Three of the original committee for drafting the Declaration of Independence — John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson — were appointed in July 1776 to develop a seal for the United States. Two committees and about six years later, Charles Thomson, Secretary of the Congress, and William Barton, a Philadelphia lawyer, designed the Great Seal which eventually became part of our currency. Since 1935, the Great Seal has appeared on the back of the dollar bill. Note that none of these men had any political power before doing what all of us can do: consider carefully what matters, speak out for what matters, do what matters.

Lesson from history: however powerless you now feel, initiate a new relationship with money with a vision. Don’t let current lack of knowledge about how you can fulfill this vision stop you. Dare to hold your vision and speak it, no matter how many people laugh at you, or even threaten you. Allow your passion for your vision to draw allies. As anthropologist Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Think of the front of the dollar bill as representing our business and legal relationship to money and the reverse as our spiritual, emotional and philosophical relationship to money.

The front side is loaded with representations that this bill is backed by the US, including the seal of the US Department of Treasury, the signatures of the Secretary of the US Treasury and the Treasurer of the United States, and a serial number.

On the back side of the bill, the delicate web of the front border is greatly expanded. On the left side of the bill is the reverse side of the Great Seal, which features a pyramid, symbol of strength and durability. Its unfinished state reminds many that our history is unfinished, not set in stone. Instead, we are guided by the Eye of Providence (God).

Over the eye is the Latin phrase, “Annuit Coeptis.” While the official US Treasury explanation of this phrase is that “He (God) has favored our undertakings,” referring to many instances of perceived Divine Providence as our government was formed, my Latin lover husband John says it can actually be translated as “”He/she has shown favor to the beginnings.” Underneath the eye is the phrase “novus ordo seclorum,” which translates to “a new order of the ages.” A newer translation, “a new order for the earth,” may be incorrect says John, but it does give some interesting food for environmental inspiration.

On the right side of the back of the dollar bill is the front of the Great Seal, featuring the uniquely American bald eagle (i.e., crownless). Originally, the eagle faced the claws in which he held arrows; after the horrors of World War II, Harry Truman had the seal redesigned to face the olive branch in the eagle’s other claw.

In the center of the bill is a huge word “ONE,” just below the phrase in smaller print, “In God we Trust.” During the Civil War, the words were added to some of our coins because of increased religious sentiment then. Almost a century later, a joint resolution of the 84th Congress made “In God we Trust,” the national motto of the United States. On October 1, 1957, the phrase first appeared on paper money.

Notice how the front and the back of the dollar bill are woven together of the same fibers, carrying the concept of the web from front to back, integrating the essential symbols on the back with the practical and legal information on the front.

What if we let the wisdom on the dollar bill guide us to a rich, sustainable and just economy — starting with our own individual relationship with money?

The first time I asked this question at a gathering of the Spirit and Work Resource Center [www.spiritandworkresourcecenter.com], participants focused on what it really means to be one with each other and one with God (or whatever name we use for the mystery of Creation). What does it mean to really trust that our truest, most eternal wisdom source can guide us through everyday, nitty gritty challenges?

Subsequent discussions in churches of different denominations or with friends led us to explore more of the history of the dollar bill, which led to new questions. What hope and caution, for instance, can we take from our rich history as a nation and our own personal histories — including the wisdom of elders who have already survived various economic challenges?

What new vision can we see if we anchor our financial and other practical questions in the wisdom of Providence? If we balance our need to take care of ourselves with our compassion? If we allow our practical financial planning and economic policy to flow from spiritual and other inspiration? If we see ourselves as part of a beautiful web connecting all of Creation: past, present and future?

What’s your guiding wisdom, right here, right now, from the dollar bill and its history? We welcome your comments here. Please, however, nothing esoteric, like Masonic or Illuminati symbols — just your thoughts and inspiration from taking a closer look at the ordinary, everyday dollar bill.

As always, bless your work to bring together your vision, values, work and money.

Pat McHenry Sullivan, with the increasing research and writing help of John Sullivan

Work-life Excellence

Work-life Excellence:
Priceless and More Easily Achievable than Work-life Balance

The term “work-life balance” has always sounded boring to me, just as the 1930’s concept of “mental hygiene” sounded way less juicy than the human potential and personal growth movements that have enlivened so many of us since the 1970’s.

Achieving work-life balance has always seemed to take so much work. Maintaining it seems even harder and so unnatural, like trying to maintain balance on a high wire when I’m really such a klutzy sort. Meditation and relaxation strategies are wonderful, but how can I stay balanced whenever a lot of energy or exertion are required?

And then there’s the awful implication that work-life balance requires a separation between what we do for work and what we do for life. Kind of like those folk-art weather houses (hygrometers)  in which a boy emerges to signify rain or the girl comes out to predict fair weather. However beautifully they are carved, the boy and girl are forever kept separate and distant. Perfectly balanced, but not much fun.

The term “work-life excellence” popped into my mind during a shower, which is one of the best catalysts for work-life excellence anywhere.

Years ago, some executives were asked where they did their best thinking. Nature and religious settings tied for second place. The bathroom overwhelmingly took first place.  No big surprise, considering the many excellent virtues of the bathroom.

Einstein was said to get his best ideas while shaving. Louis Armstrong touted the thronely release that’s necessary to keep music and life flowing. I, like most people, am in love with the shower. While writing Work with Meaning, Work with Joy: Bringing Your Spirit to Any Job, I ran to the shower when walking wasn’t enough to clear my thinking.

Showers are great. Where else are we so rewarded by being willing to come clean? Where else is there absolutely no reason to put on an act? Where else can we awaken and delight body, mind and spirit without leaving the house?

Obviously, I didn’t take the name “work-life excellence” into the shower. Instead I took the essence of what needed a single name. Eventually as I washed and just received the joy of the water, the name emerged. Since you already know the name, I’d love to tell you some of the essentials of work-life excellence.

Work-life excellence means that excellent workdays lead to excellent home life which leads to excellent sleep which leads to being prepared the next day to have an excellent day of work … and so on.

Instead of having to force yourself out of bed because you’re exhausted, you awake refreshed. Rather than being frenetic with morning preparations, you relax, knowing your clothes and other necessities are ready. Rather than jump out of bed, you take a moment to let every part of you enjoy the transition from sleep to wakefulness.

Perhaps you take some time for meditation, to listen to the music from the birds outside or something beautiful on the electronic player of your choice. You take the wonderful consciousness of your shower into your day. You breakfast mindfully and nutritiously. Your commute is a conscious journey from one place to another, one pilgrimage in the journey of life along with many others.

Rather than leave your true self — including your vision, values and faith — in the parking lot, you bring them into work. Thus, every task reveals its opportunity to become a more satisfying mission, another opportunity to stretch your talents and enjoy serving others.

Throughout your day, you practice small ways of integrating your spiritual self with your work. Maybe you offer a moment of gratitude for your work (including as necessary, the work of looking for work). You find moments of prayer or reflection throughout your day, including a moment to release your workday and prepare to go home.

By practicing work-life excellence, you may be tired at the end of the day and need rest. But you won’t be stressed out or burnt out, even in hard times.

Instead you’ll bring home what the great work storyteller Studs Terkel once called the daily meaning along with the daily bread. You’re invigorated by your work, blessed by the camaraderie of fellow workers and others who are impacted by your work. You’ve got time and energy for a real life. You’ve set yourself up for relaxing sleep, perchance to dream and further enrich tomorrow.

Over the years, I’ve found work-life excellence in the best of times and the worst of times. Some of my richest challenges have been to learn to tolerate more joy and meaning in my work. Some of my deepest joys have come from practicing habits like the ones above during hard times when my husband was out of work and three relatives were dying across country.

Rather than my saying more about how I see work-life excellence, please share how you see it. What practices help you create excellence in work that leads to excellence in the rest of life, and vice versa?

May these thoughts inspire you to create excellent work and life that inspire others to create excellent work and life. May work-life excellence be the norm for all situations.

Pat McHenry Sullivan

Spirit + Money + Work = Recipe for True Abundance

Spirit and work are meant for each other. Whether spirit comes from the religion you share with family and friends or from your own wondering, spirit provides a guide to purpose and the motivation to follow it. Spirit’s the generator of inspiration for hard times and the special fruit that comes from working with others. Spirit is the anchor of integrity that keeps us true to ourselves and on the level with others, the voice of conscience that helps us create an economy and world that is trustworthy and sustainable.

I was blessed with parents who modeled spirit and work. Here’s what they taught me: Have a passion that suits your soul, and follow it. Exercise your integrity muscles regularly. Bring the formal faith you practice on Sunday morning to the work of Monday through Saturday. Find joy in the tasks of ordinary life, like pouring concrete for the back porch.

Stories and role models are key to passing on the wisdom of spirit and work. My parents showed me how their paid work as teachers was as much a source of prayer as a prayer itself and how the little pay they got for their work could be stretched creatively into a rich life. Dad twice demonstrated that no amount of money was worth cheating for. During the Great Depression, he said no to a high-paying but fraudulent job, when he desperately needed a job. Later, when I was a baby, he blew a whistle against an embezzling college president, which cost him that job and years of emotional pain. As I watched him deal with the impact of retaliation (in a time with almost no whistleblower protection or emotional support), I saw how he learned and grew from the experience.

To utilize my parents’ gifts, I’ve had to learn a lot, especially that spirit isn’t just for the big things like “what’s my calling?” or “how can I take on this huge ethical challenge with my boss?” Spirit is for every aspect of work, including the mundane and lowly jobs that ego hates. Bring spirit respectfully to work (including the work of looking for work) and wonderful things always happen. Burnout disappears as you get more creative with your challenges. You may even find that you end your workday with more energy than you had at the beginning, even if you have a job you don’t love! 

Now, helping others bring spirit to work is my work. I’ve been blessed to interview hundreds of people about how work can be filled with integrity, purpose and joy. An archive of columns in the archives of the San Francisco Chronicle is based on many of these interviews. World religions scholar Huston Smith granted an interview on the wisdom of all faiths for work. Workforce Management magazine assigned an article on how to bring all that wisdom into the workplace in a way that respects co-workers, employers, customers and everyone else who is affected by your work.

So why now is money being added to the equation of spirit + work? Actually, it’s impossible to separate them. Whenever you apply the wisdom of the spirit and work field (aka workplace spirituality, faith and work) to the work of earning money, you’re impacting money. Whenever you choose work that satisfies over work that pays better (or vice versa), you’re impacting money. Many of the tasks involved in business planning, especially marketing, sales and financial management, directly involve money.

Tough economic times call for direct focus on spirit and money. This blog began with an inspiration: what if for 30 days we all prayed about money, thought about it, shared reflections and wisdom with others? For several weeks I put out the fruits of my prayers, and some others came along with comments.

Then life intervened with all its challenges of trying to collect for work from clients whose cash flow turned from rosy to rotten between November and January, of finding new paying projects as one huge (and hugely satisfying) one is winding down, of attempting to work with unfamiliar technology that never is as simple as it’s touted to be. And as always, there are my perpetual companions: Doubt, Fear, Who Does She Think She Is? and Why Bother?

In the end, I bother because — even if I never get the technology and the search optimization technique down and no one finds this blog than the few I lead directly to it — I believe very strongly that spirit and work are meant to work together. Bring money to the mix, and we’ve got a powerful team to deal with what ails us and calls us to something better.

The more challenging the economy, the more we need the wisdom of spirit to anchor money in integrity, purpose and the capacity for joy. The more unknowns we face, the more we need spirit to show us how to discern when being clueless is exactly the right strategy and how to grieve as we walk through the darkness until we see the dim light of our own hearts and souls. The more we are tempted to fall back onto beliefs that it’s every person for herself, the more we need the wisdom of compassion and right livelihood

Please check out some of the earlier posts and join me in an adventure of reshaping our individual and group economies. Your comments and ideas are most welcome. And until I figure out how to tell you to get every new post sent to your mailbox if you wish, just keep coming back!

As always, a blessing. May you discover in the midst of your challenges just the wisdom you need to meet those challenges. May laughter ease your way and bring you marvelous new companions on your spirit, work and money journey.

Pat McHenry Sullivan

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Service with Joy, not Martyrdom

“When you choose to serve — whether it’s your nation, your community or simply your neighborhood — you are connected to that fundamental American ideal that we want life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness not just for ourselves, but for all Americans. That’s why it’s called the American dream.”   Barack Obama, as cited by Craig Newmark on the Huffington Post www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-newmark/a-craigslist-for-service_b_150924.html

Yesterday’s post, “No More Martyrs,” really touched some nerves.

No More Money Martyrs!

I used to love the annual showing of the Christmas movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” In spite of the schmaltz, it’s got a lot going for it: great chemistry between Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed as George and Mary Bailey; an ethical man who refuses to be bought off and a gutsy wife who sees his gifts under his grouchiness; a town that comes together when the hero is in trouble, for starters.

But this year I got so mad I turned off the TV half way through the movie. There was just no way I could watch one more time a premise that without one person, a whole town will go to hell. As if without George Bailey, the feisty Mary would be doomed to be a skittish old maid, and his lively mother would turn bitter and mean. As if no one but George had gumption, or brains, or any option other than to be crushed under the thumb of the nasty Mr. Potter. As if there was no other way for George to serve others than by denying himself his own dreams and his family of his own aliveness.

Just after Obama’s election, Alice Walker wrote a wonderful piece of advice to him that I wish a lot of people would take to heart and into action:

I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely [children]. And so on…

One way of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which is all that so many people in the world really want. http://http://www.theroot.com/id/48726

Here’s what I think would make a truly wonderful life for all of us Georges and Marys and everyone else who is in this economic mess together: all of us have a role to play, and it’s not waiting for a fixer to render him or herself juiceless supposedly on our behalf. All of us have talents that only come alive if we stretch them. All of us have wisdom we can only tap if we take time for peace and quiet, plus some play time. All of us have something to gain by rolling up our sleeves and giving the service to which we are called.

The Chinese have long said that in every challenge is opportunity. The pioneer heritage in this country had some really great models for turning challenges into opportunity in our time. Out of necessity came creativity, thrift and resilience. Out of tiny scraps of cloth came patchwork quilts, bringing beauty and warmth. Out of loneliness and the need for help came quilting parties and barn-raisings where, yes, there was often a need for a leader, but the real fun and efficiency came from the teamwork.

What could we do in our country today in the spirit of the quilting bee or barn-raising to help bring each other out of this recession while helping each other grow and have fun in the process?

Do tell with a comment below.

Come back real soon with your tips and inspiration,
Pat McHenry Sullivan

Let’s Get Together and Be All Right

There is strength in the company of others, from “We, the people” to “We shall overcome.”     James Dunn, as reported by Bill Moyers

How could we the people not just overcome this economy but thrive? Several powerful tips come from Bill Moyers’ Journal on PBS of October 24, 2008 (www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/10242008/watch3.html):

1. Speak your joys and concerns and ask for prayers about them. The model given in Moyers’ show is a small Baptist church in a section of New York known as Hell’s Kitchen, where it’s often hard to hear what’s said in the church due to the traffic noise outside. But in that church, joys and concerns are blessed, and the concerns Moyers reported are much like the ones that many of us have.

2. Tap the power of our humility and common humanity. Moyers had gone to the church to hear his friend of 50 years, James Dunn, speak. Dunn spoke of “The humility that befits all humanity’, ‘the hurt that afflicts every heart,’ and, ‘the hope that comes with community,’ an old theme in American history,” reported Moyers. Those phrases were not explained, but they are ripe and juicy for your own interpretation.

3. Sing your pain and your joy with others. Moyers’ guest on the 24th was Mark Johnson, founder of Playing for Change. www.playingforchange.org For 10 years, Johnson had filmed people all around the world, many from some of the poorest and most troubled places, singing “Stand By Me,” “One Love (let’s get together and feel all right)” and other songs to the same beat and same pitch with their own unique voices. The seamless blend flows easily among street musicians in New Orleans and Amsterdam, a sitar player in India, a classical cellist in Russia, a choir in South Africa, and others. As my husband John and I watched and listened, tears and laugher flowed easily. There was so much response to the show from other viewers that Moyers repeated the segment on December 5th with a new lead-in.

4. Be open to inspiration and creative courage at all times. Johnson’s inspiration for Playing for Change came from joining a crowd of people who were transfixed by the singing of two monks in a subway in New York City. Many thought he was very naive to take on such a big job. “[N]aïve is thinking that there’s any other choice [than to] come together. And to inspire each other because that’s the way that we’ll create a better world for us now and for the kids tomorrow,” Johnson told Moyers in the “Journal” segment. “[W]e don’t even know how long we’re going to be in this world. The most important thing is while we’re here, let’s make a difference together.”

5. Watch Moyers’ PBS segment with others, and dare to dream a healthy economy for all. www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/10242008/watch3.html

After you watch the segment, find an appropriate time to be in silence together, as people are silent in a Quaker worship service. Speak from your heart when called. As each person speaks, listen as carefully as Moyers always listens to his guests.

Without responding, go back into the silence to savor what was said, without judgment. As each new person speaks, listen and return to the silence.

When you are ready for dialogue, here are some questions to consider:

     What strength do you find in the company of others?
     What music (or art or writing) makes you feel most united to others and empowered to give your best to the common good?
     How do Johnson and the musicians inspire you? What do they call you to do?
     What’s your blessing for the work we are all called to do to stand by each other and get together to help make it all right for all of us?

If you are new to this blog, please click on “About the Challenge” at the upper right of today’s post. Start anytime, and take as long as you wish.

Come back real soon with your own insights and inspiration, Pat McHenry Sullivan

copyright 2008 by Pat McHenry Sullivan

Reality vs. Vision

What if There’s a Huge Gap Between Current Reality
and Visions of a Richer Future?

Without vision we perish; guided by vision and effective action, we can thrive. To create a vision that works, to paraphrase Einstein, we need a different kind of thinking than that which created the challenge.

The gap between current reality and vision can cause tension, especially when we’re tired, overly busy, or unable right now to see clearly either current reality or a new vision. But tension, Robert Fritz taught, can be structured so it becomes part of the creative process.

Here’s a quote from Fritz’s book Creating: ‘I call the relationship between the vision and current reality structural tension. During the creative process, you have an eye on where you want to go, and you also have an eye on where you currently are. There will always be structural tension in the beginning of the creative process, for there will always be a discrepancy between what you want and what you have. Why? Because creators bring into being creations that do not yet exist. Structural tension is a fundamental principle in the creative process. In fact, part of your job as a creator is to form this tension.’

For more about Fritz’s insights, including a demonstration of structural tension in action, see www.robertfritz.com and click on “principles.”

It can feel really crazy at first to see current reality and a vision at the same time. Here are some of my favorite exercises for working with the tension between now and the hoped-for future:

1. Create two separate pictures, using drawings, words or collage. One represents the joys and challenges of current financial reality. The other represents your vision. Post these somewhere where you can see them every day, with the current reality on the bottom and the vision on top. Be honest! If currently you don’t have a vision, your current reality picture can show your longing for clarity, while your picture of your future vision might show how it feels to be clear.

Stand back from the two pictures and look at them both at the same time. Notice your thoughts and feelings about the discrepancy between them.  Relax your eyes. Look at both pictures again. Close your eyes and relax them again. Then go about your business, and as you discover more about  either current reality or your vision, change your pictures.

2. Imagine there’s a visionary genius in the back of your heart. If you wish, give him or her a name, and ask this genius to guide you and to hold your vision for you. Then when your heart speaks, pay attention. Write down your guidance.

3. Sit or stand with your arms comfortably stretched out, palms facing up. Imagine your left hand holds the essence of your current reality and your right hand represents your vision. Move your hands to represent the current relationship between the two, e.g., going in different directions or clashing. Notice what thoughts pass through your mind and intuition as you do so. Then allow the two hands to find their balance. Notice how each hand connects to an arm, then to a shoulder, then through your neck to your head, down your chest and into your arms, your organs, your legs that carry you out into the world. If you wish, follow this with a walking meditation.

4. Read the biographies of people who have inspired you. If you can’t think of any, ask a local librarian, or just walk down the biography aisle in your local library. Better yet, ask friends and family for recommendations, and get a dialogue going about the power of inspiration.

If you need help generating a vision, the article on “Finding Visions for Work and Life” in the Work Vision section at www.workwithmeaningandjoy.com may be useful to you.

How are the daily assignments of this challenge coming? Are you being persistent yet kind to yourself so you work at a rate that is true to you? (For more about the assignment, see “About the Challenge” under Pages on the sidebar.)

As always, a blessing that hopefully inspires you: May I dare again to dream with all my creative faculties.  May my dream be anchored in the wisdom of now and guided by the courage to fulfill the purpose that brought me to earth.

Come back real soon with your own insights and inspiration,
Pat McHenry Sullivan

 

Disavowing Poverty

Disavowing Poverty Vows

You may never have taken formal, witnessed poverty vows as my husband John did at the age of 19 while he was in a Roman Catholic religious order, but it’s highly likely that you’ve taken some vows of poverty, intentional or otherwise.

Religious poverty vows are prayed over, even blessed. They aren’t a commitment to being homeless, starving or dressing in rags. They are a vow to simplicity, and an everyday willingness not to be attached to money or the things it could buy. The intent is to free members of any concerns about earning, saving or investing money (unless they are taking on financial roles on behalf of the community) so they are free to focus fully on spiritual life.

What a contrast religious vows are to the get-rich quick, greedy or otherwise definitely non-spiritual vows that drive so many novels, movies, and financial strategy! Often such vows lead to spiritual, emotional and/or financial impoverishment, as definitely was the case with many players in the subprime mortgage meltdown and other disasters.

My favorite example is Scarlett O’Hara, the self-centered heroine of Gone with the Wind, who during the Civil War became responsible for the survival of her family, home and even three former slaves, plus her rival and rival’s baby. After learning that the Yankees (or as they say where I grew up, damnyankees) have either destroyed or stolen anything edible except some dried-up turnips, Scarlet raises her fist in the air and pronounces, “As God is my witness, I will never go hungry again . . . not me or any of my kin.”

Now that could be a noble vow, but Scarlett adds the commitment to do whatever she deems necessary, including lie, cheat, steal or kill. Though she does become wealthy, she can’t really enjoy it due to the unintentional spiritual and emotional poverty vows which were a by-product of both conscious and unconscious faults like fear, greed, and spite.

Here’s how Scarlett’s unintentional poverty vows might be expressed: I insist on having what I think I want, no matter who is hurt in the process, including my own heart. I will base my business and spending decisions not just on sound business or financial information, but also on such desires as making others pea-green with envy; keeping myself from realizing how much I really love Rhett, not Ashley; and running from the fears that have caused nightmares since I was a child and a lot of grief ever since.

It’s not easy undoing poverty vows. Undoing poverty vows after years in a committed religious order may require years of learning how to make a living, and perhaps becoming totally re-trained. After all, there aren’t a whole lot of job descriptions calling for people who are adept at contemplation and fluent in Latin or Gregorian chant!

Undoing unintentional poverty vows can be even harder. Therapy and coaching can help uncover them; so can reflection on what’s not working around money in your life and considering, “What might I have been thinking when I developed this unfruitful way of dealing with money?”

Here are some unconscious poverty vows to consider:

• I vow not to learn about money and how to handle it well.
• I base my financial decisions on shame, fear, or ___________.
• I choose to base my financial and business planning on hopes and dreams that I have not carefully considered.
• I choose to trust blindly without giving my financial or business dealings the careful consideration I owe myself and others. (The legal term is “due diligence.”)

What about you? Do any of the above vows sound familiar?

And what’s your true abundance vow when you turn around your poverty vows, either conscious or unintentional, then look into your soul for guidance?

My favorite true abundance vow begins with gratitude for all the gifts I’ve gained from being married to a man who brought his financial challenges and gifts to our marriage. The challenges are nobody’s business but our own, but the gifts include these: Not once have I ever known John to act greedy or mean about money. Instead, his habit of simplicity helps pull me off my high horse and enjoy the moment more. He looks so carefully at any gift that in the process, I see more in the gift. His appreciation is so contagious that I seem to gain more in the giving than he gets in receiving it.

In creating a true abundance vow, I also had to deal with what I’ve learned from my own collection of often-contradictory unintentional poverty vows, like my childhood dreams of wowing everyone who had ever put me down with the huge emerald and flashy sports car I would someday have, mixed with a longtime habit of dreaming big, doing little. And then there are the usual suspects like shame or “I don’t really deserve it.”

Here’s my current true abundance vow. May it inspire you to create your own:

I vow to treat money as an exchange of energy that I use wisely, to the betterment of myself and others. I vow to live simply and richly, basing my financial decisions on a combination of in-the-world research, prayer, and a lot of careful discernment. In this journey of earning and using money more wisely, I give thanks for all the challenges and the beings on this earth who have helped me learn from them.

As always, I hope you enjoy this challenge.

Come back real soon with your thoughts and inspiration,
Pat McHenry Sullivan