I recently had the pleasure of Louise Hay’s book, Receiving Prosperity. It really shook up some deep seeded feelings I had about money that I didn’t even realize I was holding on to! For those of you that are struggling with getting more of the green, this article is for you!
Are you ready to receive?
Most of us think about money, and we think we need to Go Out And Get it. Not so, says Louise…
“It has nothing to do with getting; it’s really allowing yourself to accept. Which is a different concept. When you’re not having something that you want, it’s because on some level, you’re not allowing yourself to accept it.”
Wow. If we go with this theory and apply it to our ‘worth’ and our finances, this is a pretty big deal. I have read time and time again that we need to pay attention to our thoughts, but I had never really realized until reading this book that I needed to change my belief systems about money. I need to think more about receiving money, and really being OK with it.
Here are a couple of questions she asks to get you thinking about your relationship with money, and especially about receiving & what to do about it…
What beliefs do you have about money?
What did my parents believe about money?
This is where your beliefs came from, and may be what is keeping you stuck.
Take a moment to write it all down, then read through it and ask yourself,
“Am I choosing to believe this now?”
This was a really eye-opening experience for me. My father was really big on work and earning but was very flashy with money; my mother was more frugal and thrifty. After doing this exercise, I realized that my ideas about money have always been very conflicted. Even though I’ve never really had issues earning money, I have FOR SURE had issues Receiving money, and even Asking for money. There is a pretty big factor for me of needing to earn money. Even when I haven’t really needed to work, I felt guilty for just enjoying the lifestyle I had created.
This was a wonderful realization to have made, and you might be surprised what comes up for you when you take the time to consider your beliefs about money.
What affirmations are you currently putting out?
Louise explains, “an affirmation, really, is like planting a seed in the ground. An affirmation doesn’t usually feel true to begin with; because if it were a truth, you wouldn’t need to do an affirmation. What you’re trying to do is create something that you didn’t have before.”
If you aren’t seeing the money in your life that you would like, maybe you need to change your thoughts and affirmations around money. One affirmation I really like was this one:
“My income is constantly increasing.”
As she says, “Put the seed in the ground, and begin to nurture it, and it will grow!!” I really like this idea, it is an Abundance philosophy — changing away from Lack Mentality — and moving your mentality towards growing abundance.
But, here is a kicker…
Can you Receive?
Louise brings up a really cool concept here that really hit home for me. The idea is how you FEEL about Receiving. How you feel about it will ultimately affect your reality. Are you mentally pushing away what is rightfully yours?
- How do you feel about receiving?
- When you receive something, do you feel good, or happy, or joyous?
- Or, do you feel bad or guilty, and pressured to immediately give something back, or exchange something in return for what it is you have received?
- Do you feel like you have to reciprocate, or are you just happy for the gift?
Learn to Just Say Thank You!
Getting in alignment with these things will surely help you clear up how you feel about money and make you more available to receive the gifts that are rightfully yours. Stop feeling bad about it, and Just Say Thank You!
“The Universe likes to know that you can receive—and not just exchange. And sometimes you don’t need to give back to the person that gave to you. You’ll give to somebody else at another time. But learn to accept. A lot of us have problems with that, we can give, but we can’t receive. Learn to accept graciously, just smile and say thank you.”
Thanks, Louise, for such an inspiring book — I am so happy that I took the time to learn these things, and can’t wait to see the results!!
