A Few Bucks

I’m going to cheat a little. I originally posted this elsewhere, but I was thinking about the power of believing and journaling and…tithing, of all things. Someone I consider a friend and role-model of sorts sent me a quote the other day having to do with “The Secret.” Basically, it spoke to tithing as a way of making room for more abundance in your life. It sounds screwy, I know. But it works. Seriously.

Anyway, I say “cheat” because I got to thinking about this post and figured I’d share it with a wider audience:

I have a “work journal” that I received about this time (October) in 2007. I went back and read my first entry, and I realized that I really haven’t written much in it. Ironically, as I read that first entry from 2007, I was sitting in the lobby of a hotel, the site of this year’s (2008) leadership off-site meeting for work. The “ironic” part comes in because I received the journal and wrote my first entry at the site of last year’s leadership off-site. As I read, I had an epiphany…or, rather, a continuation in a series of recent, related epiphanies. These epiphanies have brought me to this conclusion: that there is an Emotional Intelligence formula for so-called “successful people.” By “Emotional Intelligence,” I mean specifically the ability to monitor and react to one’s own emotional state, to understand the implication of one’s own emotions on one’s behavior, and to take actions to mitigate against the risks associated with said implications. It is also the ability to monitor, understand, and respond appropriately to the emotions of others. It occurred to me that journaling is a vital part of the formula. It is a vital part of the process of becoming self-aware.

It makes sense why so many people journal; you feel something happen inside you, in your heart, when you write an entry or read an entry you’ve written in the past. “Successful people” record thoughts to gain self-awareness specifically because of the power it yields; you hear them talk about it all the time. Journaling gives today a connection to the potential tomorrows. It highlights the interconnectedness of all actions, of all things. The linkage to what was real, to what is real in the moment, and to what will be real is a source of intense personal power. I can feel it, equally when I write as when I read what I have written. Giving your thoughts organization and form, connection to past, present, and future, in this way gives them that power. And self-awareness is one of the keys to increasing Emotional Intelligence. It’s all part of that formula.

Personal power can be used for anything. ANYTHING. “Successful people” use their personal power to create the outcomes they envision. Money is often the first key indicator of success for which many people strive. Ultimately, money falls short because it is easy to create money from thought. Money provides little comfort, little satisfaction. I did it recently and generated $2100 out of the blue in the course of 3 weeks. It allowed me to travel to New York for my father’s 69th birthday for a special trip to “Old Timer’s Day” at Yankee Stadium. My dad got to see Yogi Bera in “The Stadium” one last time. It also funded a trip back to Texas, the first since 2006. But money, for its own sake, was not the focus. My thoughts turned into money because I asked the Universe for something else, for something that money helped me get. In both cases, I asked the Universe for opportunities for which my heart sang. The Universe heard and provided. So, I gave 10% to charity. I did it again and $1000 found its way to me in December.

The point is this: take the time to give your thoughts form.For me, that means: journal. Journal to gain power. Journal to gain self-awareness. Journal to gain emotional intelligence. Journal to get what you want from the universe. Let all of your thoughts and actions be guided by compassion and love. They will serve you well.

You may even make a few bucks in the process.