By Michelle Burford
"Friends are the family we choose for ourselves," writer Edna Buchanan once said. I consider the "family" I've gathered—with five kinds of pals I count on for completely different things—among the wisest choices I've made. If you can find even one who embodies any of the characteristics that follow, you can consider yourself fortunate.
1. The Uplifter
This woman's favorite word: yes. You could tell her you're trading your six-figure income for a career in offtrack betting, and she'd barely pause before yelping "Go for it!" Don't you need someone who looks past the love handles to notice the extraordinarily gorgeous you?
2. The Travel Buddy
When the hotel in St. Lucia is a bust, one characteristic becomes all-important: flexibility. This agreeable companion need not be the girl you traded pinkie swears with on the playground; it's enough that she's comfortable with quiet (between gabfests) and is a teensy bit mischievous (as in tequila after midnight).
3. The Truth Teller
Intent is what separates the constructive from the abusive. Once you've established that the hard news is spoken in love (not in jealousy or malice), you'd be smart to seek out this woman's perspective.
4. The Girl Who Just Wants to Have Fun
One Saturday a pal and I—and yes, we're both over age 12—pored over every glitter lip gloss in a drugstore aisle for an entire 45 minutes. Forget the crisis download (for that, see the Uplifter); this partnership is about spontaneous good times.
5. The Unlikely Friend
"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive," Anaïs Nin wrote. My friends—some twice my age, others half, some rich, others homeless, some black like me, others Korean, Mexican, Caucasian—have added richness to my life that only variety can bring.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Rid your House of Toxins!!
Did you know that your home could be toxic to you and your family? I didn't until I started doing some research into the cleaning products I was using. As a mother of two children, I was greatly concerned with making sure my children were living in a clean environment, little did I know that by cleaning my home with what I now know were toxic cleaners I was actually causing my children harm.
Learn More Now at www.Changestores.info
Contact me at southparkflorist@aol.com or Lisa@tx.rr.com if you have any more Questions..
Sincerely,
Lisa McCartney
Learn More Now at www.Changestores.info
Contact me at southparkflorist@aol.com or Lisa@tx.rr.com if you have any more Questions..
Sincerely,
Lisa McCartney
Monday, June 11, 2007
Create your OWN wealth in your OWN home...
Did you know that the average household owes more than $84,000 in personal debt?
That's just one of many reasons why so many people like me and you want to find a better way to make money on our terms. I know my company provides us the opportunity that will help us do that.
Think about it: no schedules, no bosses, no set workplace...when you start a fun, simple home business with my company, it's completely up to you how you want to run the business.
There's a lot of great information like this on my website, if you want to read more, just check it out: My Website
Have a great day!
Lisa McCartney
9182610616
Lisa@tx.rr.com
That's just one of many reasons why so many people like me and you want to find a better way to make money on our terms. I know my company provides us the opportunity that will help us do that.
Think about it: no schedules, no bosses, no set workplace...when you start a fun, simple home business with my company, it's completely up to you how you want to run the business.
There's a lot of great information like this on my website, if you want to read more, just check it out: My Website
Have a great day!
Lisa McCartney
9182610616
Lisa@tx.rr.com
ABC's of a Safer Home
Create a Safer and Healthy Home
by Dr. Joyce M. Woods
Begin by thinking of your home as a toxic waste dump. The average home today contains 62 toxic chemicals - more than a chemistry lab at the turn of the century. More than 72,000 synthetic chemicals have been produced since WW II. Less than 2% of synthetic chemicals have been tested for toxicity, mutagenic and carcinogenic effects, or birth defects. The majority of chemicals have never been tested for long-term effects.
An EPA survey concluded that indoor air was 3 to 70 times more polluted than outdoor air.
Another EPA study stated that the toxic chemicals in household cleaners are 3 times more likely to cause cancer than outdoor air.
CMHC reports that houses today are so energy efficient that "out-gassing" of chemicals has no where to go, so it builds up inside the home.
We spend 90% of our time indoors, and 65% of that time at home. Moms, infants and the elderly spend 90% of their time in the home.
National Cancer Association released results of a 15-year study concluding that women who work in the home are at a 54% higher risk of developing cancer than women who work outside the home.
Cancer rates have almost doubled since 1960.
Cancer is the Number ONE cause of death for children.
There has been a 26% increase in breast cancer since 1982. Breast cancer is the Number ONE killer of women between the ages of 35 and 54. Primary suspects are laundry detergents, household cleaners and pesticides.
There has been a call from the U.S./Canadian Commission to ban bleach in North America. Bleach is being linked to the rising rates of breast cancer in women, reproductive problems in men and learning and behavioral problems in children.
Chemicals get into our body through inhalation, ingestion and absorption. We breathe 10 to 20 thousand liters of air per day.
There are more than 3 million poisonings every year. Household cleaners are the Number ONE cause of poisoning of children.
Since 1980, asthma has increased by 600%. The Canadian Lung Association and the Asthma Society of Canada identify common household cleaners and cosmetics as triggers.
ADD/ADHD are epidemic in schools today. Behavioral problems have long been linked to exposure to toxic chemicals and molds.
Chemical and environmental sensitivities are known to cause all types of headaches.
Labeling laws do not protect the consumer - they protect big business. The New York Poison Control Center reports that 85% of product warning labels were either inadequate or incorrect for identifying a poison, and for first aid instructions.
Formaldehyde, phenol, benzene, toluene, xylene are found in common household cleaners, cosmetics, beverages, fabrics and cigarette smoke. These chemicals are cancer causing and toxic to the immune system.
Chemicals are attracted to, and stored in fatty tissue. The brain is a prime target for these destructive organics because of its high fat content and very rich blood supply.
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has found more than 2500 chemicals in cosmetics that are toxic, cause tumors, reproductive complications, biological mutations and skin and eye irritations.
Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, circulatory disorders, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, and hormonal problems are diseases commonly related to chemical exposure.
Pesticides only have to include active ingredients on the labels, even though the inert (inactive) ingredients may account for 99%, many of which are toxic and poisons.
There are solutions, alternatives and ways that we can make a difference. Get more info today and we can share with you our mission, our belief and help you make a difference in your life. Health and Wealth.
**********************************************************************************
To all my blogger readers,
I can help you change the way you shop and learn to shop the smart way and not affecting your pocketbook at all.. I used to be an avid shopper of Target or Wal-mart.. After all the studying on this and research I basically changed stores and the prices are compariable if not even better on the products I buy now.. Best of all they are all natural based and I know my family is no longer in harms way by the household products that I used to use.. I definately can sleep alot better now..
I was shocked at all of this and how little I knew about shampoo's and soaps and cleaning products and I could go on and on of all the toxins I had in my home and I look back and I am disgusted for not paying attention or learning more at a earlier age.. Every single person should learn this and know that they have the choice to make there home Toxic free and a safe place to live in! What you chhose to do with your new found knowledge is totally up to you but I am here to tell you. You CAN switch stores and at no additional expense then your are already spending at other stores on TOXIC products!!
Contact me I will help you every step of the way and answer all your questions because I want to get every one on the path to a TOXIC FREE lifestyle!
email me at southparkflorist@aol.com
Or my aim is southparkflorist
We can set up a time to even talk on the phone if that would be easier..
Just remember I am here to Help!
Lisa McCartney
by Dr. Joyce M. Woods
Begin by thinking of your home as a toxic waste dump. The average home today contains 62 toxic chemicals - more than a chemistry lab at the turn of the century. More than 72,000 synthetic chemicals have been produced since WW II. Less than 2% of synthetic chemicals have been tested for toxicity, mutagenic and carcinogenic effects, or birth defects. The majority of chemicals have never been tested for long-term effects.
An EPA survey concluded that indoor air was 3 to 70 times more polluted than outdoor air.
Another EPA study stated that the toxic chemicals in household cleaners are 3 times more likely to cause cancer than outdoor air.
CMHC reports that houses today are so energy efficient that "out-gassing" of chemicals has no where to go, so it builds up inside the home.
We spend 90% of our time indoors, and 65% of that time at home. Moms, infants and the elderly spend 90% of their time in the home.
National Cancer Association released results of a 15-year study concluding that women who work in the home are at a 54% higher risk of developing cancer than women who work outside the home.
Cancer rates have almost doubled since 1960.
Cancer is the Number ONE cause of death for children.
There has been a 26% increase in breast cancer since 1982. Breast cancer is the Number ONE killer of women between the ages of 35 and 54. Primary suspects are laundry detergents, household cleaners and pesticides.
There has been a call from the U.S./Canadian Commission to ban bleach in North America. Bleach is being linked to the rising rates of breast cancer in women, reproductive problems in men and learning and behavioral problems in children.
Chemicals get into our body through inhalation, ingestion and absorption. We breathe 10 to 20 thousand liters of air per day.
There are more than 3 million poisonings every year. Household cleaners are the Number ONE cause of poisoning of children.
Since 1980, asthma has increased by 600%. The Canadian Lung Association and the Asthma Society of Canada identify common household cleaners and cosmetics as triggers.
ADD/ADHD are epidemic in schools today. Behavioral problems have long been linked to exposure to toxic chemicals and molds.
Chemical and environmental sensitivities are known to cause all types of headaches.
Labeling laws do not protect the consumer - they protect big business. The New York Poison Control Center reports that 85% of product warning labels were either inadequate or incorrect for identifying a poison, and for first aid instructions.
Formaldehyde, phenol, benzene, toluene, xylene are found in common household cleaners, cosmetics, beverages, fabrics and cigarette smoke. These chemicals are cancer causing and toxic to the immune system.
Chemicals are attracted to, and stored in fatty tissue. The brain is a prime target for these destructive organics because of its high fat content and very rich blood supply.
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has found more than 2500 chemicals in cosmetics that are toxic, cause tumors, reproductive complications, biological mutations and skin and eye irritations.
Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, circulatory disorders, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, and hormonal problems are diseases commonly related to chemical exposure.
Pesticides only have to include active ingredients on the labels, even though the inert (inactive) ingredients may account for 99%, many of which are toxic and poisons.
There are solutions, alternatives and ways that we can make a difference. Get more info today and we can share with you our mission, our belief and help you make a difference in your life. Health and Wealth.
**********************************************************************************
To all my blogger readers,
I can help you change the way you shop and learn to shop the smart way and not affecting your pocketbook at all.. I used to be an avid shopper of Target or Wal-mart.. After all the studying on this and research I basically changed stores and the prices are compariable if not even better on the products I buy now.. Best of all they are all natural based and I know my family is no longer in harms way by the household products that I used to use.. I definately can sleep alot better now..
I was shocked at all of this and how little I knew about shampoo's and soaps and cleaning products and I could go on and on of all the toxins I had in my home and I look back and I am disgusted for not paying attention or learning more at a earlier age.. Every single person should learn this and know that they have the choice to make there home Toxic free and a safe place to live in! What you chhose to do with your new found knowledge is totally up to you but I am here to tell you. You CAN switch stores and at no additional expense then your are already spending at other stores on TOXIC products!!
Contact me I will help you every step of the way and answer all your questions because I want to get every one on the path to a TOXIC FREE lifestyle!
email me at southparkflorist@aol.com
Or my aim is southparkflorist
We can set up a time to even talk on the phone if that would be easier..
Just remember I am here to Help!
Lisa McCartney
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Learn More about the New Online Business Community
Team up with Ojeez.com Now!
Own a piece of the Ojeez community.. Get the facts here!
I wanted to share this with my friends so you to can be part of the next Huge on-line business network that is launching on June 6th and you will be part owner of the site! (It was origanally scheduled for May 31st so you still have time to get in before the Launch!)
Fact:
Tom Andersson sold My Space sold for $580 Million in under 6 yrs....
Matt and Chad sold You Tube sold for $1.7 Billion Dollars in under 18 Months..
Jim and Zach will sell Ojeez and go IPO in (under 24 months) for a min of $1.2 Billion..
How much of that money do you want?
Sign up now for Free as a beta tester now through my link :
and you will be in my network then once you sign up and are given your URL start spreading the word and get your friends to sign up under your url to be in your network!
How Fun...
www.ojeez.com/lmccartney
Learn more at www.ojeez.com
Thanks,
Lisa McCartney
Own a piece of the Ojeez community.. Get the facts here!
I wanted to share this with my friends so you to can be part of the next Huge on-line business network that is launching on June 6th and you will be part owner of the site! (It was origanally scheduled for May 31st so you still have time to get in before the Launch!)
Fact:
Tom Andersson sold My Space sold for $580 Million in under 6 yrs....
Matt and Chad sold You Tube sold for $1.7 Billion Dollars in under 18 Months..
Jim and Zach will sell Ojeez and go IPO in (under 24 months) for a min of $1.2 Billion..
How much of that money do you want?
Sign up now for Free as a beta tester now through my link :
and you will be in my network then once you sign up and are given your URL start spreading the word and get your friends to sign up under your url to be in your network!
How Fun...
www.ojeez.com/lmccartney
Learn more at www.ojeez.com
Thanks,
Lisa McCartney
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Everyone should really be thinking along these lines..
Okay so I decided to blog about something I find Important..
Everyone knows that I own a Floral Shop and have had it now 14 years but with that I still look for opportunties to expand my business. I also am always looking at new ways to market and network my Business. The level of achievement and growth that my shop has reached over the years is not only exciting but very rewarding. But... and this is a big but to me. I still have goals outside of the shop and those are within my family and home life so with that I am always seeking (To a degree) other sources of income which we refer to as residual income or a second income. So I have gotten involved with a few companies that I strongly believe in and I feel are the perfect fit for me. These companies not only provide me a residual monthly income but they give me hope.
My goals, plans, dreams, hopes (whatever you may call them) They are to retire at a younger age than I initially planned on, to stay home with my family more, to be able to afford and allow my children the choice of whatever college they may choose ( No matter the Expense), and most of all when we do retire we will have saved enough money from these residual based income businesses to allow us to continue on and be able to afford and enjoy all the things we did when we were both working and one of the great things about that is.... The work I am doing now with the home based businesses in my spare time will allow us to continue recieving those monthly residual income checks even when we are retired from our current careers and who knows the little amount of time I have involved with them I may continue on with them just to keep the amount of those monthly checks on the rise and I love that.. Right now I enjoy it so much and especially helping others get involved and set the same goals for themselves. I love it when my friends get there first check and the excitement in there voice is so rewarding to me because I know I have opened a door for them like no other.. As long as they continue with the same goals and can see the big picture as I do then they too will have financial comfort within there own home..
So never give up there are lots of options out there for us.. It is just up to you to want to make the change in your life and start being rewarded for your efforts..
So whether you want to keep your career and just get involved with something that you can do in your spare time and earn yourself a monthly residual income or whether you want to stay at home and make a career of your very own right from your own home.. You can and the amount of money you can make is just pretty much unbelievable it all comes down to your time and effort... So for all you workaholics like me THE SKY IS THE LIMIT!!
I have to tell you one of the companies I am involved with... One of my team members (Linda) Her last months check and I saw it first hand was almost $15,000 but keep in mind her and her husband have been doing it for 4 years and work this business from there own home and stay home every single day with there children... That to me is Awesome!
Anyway had this on my mind and really wanted to share it with you and if you ever have any interest or want to learn of a legitimit residual income based business just let me know.. I have checked them out and researched them and I very comfortable with my choices.. I will not be getting involved with anymore however... because I want to stay dedicated to the three I have chosen. I have my own personal reasons and beliefs behind each one I chose and I do not mind sharing them at all with any of you.
Two are MLM based and one is not!
The one that is not is where that large check and the freedom to stay at home and work if you so choose came from!
Okay so I got that off my chest and I am so glad to be able to share it with my friends.. I just want you all to know there are options out there and ways to help you eliminate your debt and plan for your future and all on your own time without huge start up fees...
Thanks,
Lisa McCartney
Everyone knows that I own a Floral Shop and have had it now 14 years but with that I still look for opportunties to expand my business. I also am always looking at new ways to market and network my Business. The level of achievement and growth that my shop has reached over the years is not only exciting but very rewarding. But... and this is a big but to me. I still have goals outside of the shop and those are within my family and home life so with that I am always seeking (To a degree) other sources of income which we refer to as residual income or a second income. So I have gotten involved with a few companies that I strongly believe in and I feel are the perfect fit for me. These companies not only provide me a residual monthly income but they give me hope.
My goals, plans, dreams, hopes (whatever you may call them) They are to retire at a younger age than I initially planned on, to stay home with my family more, to be able to afford and allow my children the choice of whatever college they may choose ( No matter the Expense), and most of all when we do retire we will have saved enough money from these residual based income businesses to allow us to continue on and be able to afford and enjoy all the things we did when we were both working and one of the great things about that is.... The work I am doing now with the home based businesses in my spare time will allow us to continue recieving those monthly residual income checks even when we are retired from our current careers and who knows the little amount of time I have involved with them I may continue on with them just to keep the amount of those monthly checks on the rise and I love that.. Right now I enjoy it so much and especially helping others get involved and set the same goals for themselves. I love it when my friends get there first check and the excitement in there voice is so rewarding to me because I know I have opened a door for them like no other.. As long as they continue with the same goals and can see the big picture as I do then they too will have financial comfort within there own home..
So never give up there are lots of options out there for us.. It is just up to you to want to make the change in your life and start being rewarded for your efforts..
So whether you want to keep your career and just get involved with something that you can do in your spare time and earn yourself a monthly residual income or whether you want to stay at home and make a career of your very own right from your own home.. You can and the amount of money you can make is just pretty much unbelievable it all comes down to your time and effort... So for all you workaholics like me THE SKY IS THE LIMIT!!
I have to tell you one of the companies I am involved with... One of my team members (Linda) Her last months check and I saw it first hand was almost $15,000 but keep in mind her and her husband have been doing it for 4 years and work this business from there own home and stay home every single day with there children... That to me is Awesome!
Anyway had this on my mind and really wanted to share it with you and if you ever have any interest or want to learn of a legitimit residual income based business just let me know.. I have checked them out and researched them and I very comfortable with my choices.. I will not be getting involved with anymore however... because I want to stay dedicated to the three I have chosen. I have my own personal reasons and beliefs behind each one I chose and I do not mind sharing them at all with any of you.
Two are MLM based and one is not!
The one that is not is where that large check and the freedom to stay at home and work if you so choose came from!
Okay so I got that off my chest and I am so glad to be able to share it with my friends.. I just want you all to know there are options out there and ways to help you eliminate your debt and plan for your future and all on your own time without huge start up fees...
Thanks,
Lisa McCartney
Thursday, May 31, 2007
The 8 Qualities of a Wealthy Woman
By Suze Orman
I found this to be of great interest and thought I would share..
What keeps women from achieving the financial security they -- and their families -- deserve? I believe the root of the problem lies in the dysfunctional relationship women have with money.
That's the launching point for my new book, "Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny." My message to all women: Owning the power to control your destiny requires more than 401(k)s and Roth IRAs. It requires reconditioning from the inside. In this excerpt from "Women & Money," I discuss the eight qualities of wealthy women.
Qualities 1 and 2: Harmony and Balance
Harmony is an agreement in feeling, approach, and sympathy. It is the pleasing interaction between what you think, feel, say, and do.
Balance is a state of emotional and rational stability in which you are calm and able to make sound decisions and judgments.
Harmony and balance are perhaps the most important qualities of all, for they serve as the foundation for the remaining qualities. When you possess true inner harmony, what you think, say, feel, and do is one. We are so accustomed to this split-screen state of mind in which we think one thing, say another, feel something else, and act in a way that has nothing to do with what we just thought, said, or felt. When your thoughts, feelings, words, and actions are not in harmony, it shows up as an imbalance -- you feel agitated, uncomfortable, you sense something is off, so you find it difficult to make rational, calm decisions. This is why these two qualities are a pair.
Quality 3: Courage
Courage is the ability to face danger, difficulty, uncertainty, or pain without being overcome by fear or being deflected from a chosen course of action.
Courage gives harmony expression. When your thoughts and feelings are one, courage helps you manifest them in the form of words and actions. When you are afraid to speak or act, courage helps you overcome your fear. Courage gives you the ability to speak your truth, even when it is not what others may want to hear.
Fear is usually what stands between us and our courage. But if we are to embrace this quality of courage to its fullest, we can no longer allow ourselves to hide behind fear. You can meditate on your fear and think about it rationally and try to will it away, but in the end, if fear is preventing you from acting, you must find your courage and act to overcome your fear.
Quality 4: Generosity
Generosity is when you give the right thing to the right person at the right time -- and it benefits both of you.
Generosity is a quality that most women can tap into very easily -- maybe too easily. As women, we tend to be overly generous with our time, support, love, and money -- but giving simply for the sake of giving does not match the definition of true generosity.
True generosity goes far beyond what you give to others. In giving there is a power, an understanding that you are just the vessel that wealth or energy flows through. You allow money to come in through your hands and out through your heart. To be empowered to give, to be moved to give straight from the heart, is a feeling that all the money in the world could never buy. So let me ask you: Is that how you feel when you constantly give of yourself? Do you feel enhanced or do you feel diminished? You think of yourself as a giver, as generous with your time, your talent, your money. Others probably describe you as a generous woman, but if I were to look at you, I might think you give for the wrong reasons. Do you give because you feel that you should? Do you give out of guilt or embarrassment? Understand that true generosity is as much about the one who gives as it is about the one who receives. If an act of generosity benefits the receiver but saps the giver, then it is not true generosity.
Quality 5: Happiness
Happiness is a state of well-being and contentment.
When you find the courage to live your life in harmony and balance, when you understand and practice generosity in the truest sense, happiness spontaneously appears. When you are happy, you are open and accessible. When you are happy, you tend to be more optimistic. You approach new challenges with a clear mind that seeks positive solutions. You see possibilities rather than problems.
Happiness is not a luxury. It is a necessity for true wealth. When you are happy, you have the satisfaction of knowing that your actions come from a place of purity and balance, that they are correct and generous and kind. There are no regrets in this state of happiness -- and that's a goal worth striving for in all areas of your life.
Quality 6: Wisdom
Wisdom is the knowledge and experience needed to make sensible decisions and judgments, or the good sense shown by the decisions and judgments made from an accumulated knowledge of life that has been gained through experience.
The quality of wisdom is more than intellectual, and it is in no way related to how much schooling you have. Exercising wisdom requires cutting through the noise of life and tapping into your core beliefs to make thoughtful decisions. Wisdom results from inhabiting all the qualities that came before it. A wise woman recognizes when her life is out of balance and summons the courage to act to correct it. A wise woman knows the meaning of true generosity. A wise woman knows happiness is the reward for a life lived in harmony, with courage and grace. A wise woman knows how to summon her courage and do what is right, rather than what is easy.
Quality 7: Cleanliness
Cleanliness is a state of purity, clarity, and precision.
Cleanliness is about respecting the importance of order and organization. When you don't know where your money is, when you have no filing system for your important documents, when you dive into your pocketbook to pull out crumpled bills, when your car looks like a garbage can, when your closets are filled with junk and clutter -- you cannot possibly be a wealthy woman. You need to clean up your act -- quite literally -- to bring true wealth into your life. In India, women sweep the front entrance to their home each morning as a way of welcoming Lakshmi, the goddess of material and spiritual abundance, into their home, for there is a belief that she resides at the threshold of every house. In order for her to enter, she must have a clear path.
You might be reading this and thinking that cleanliness is nice but not essential to your financial well-being. I am here to tell you that if this quality is not up front and center, wealth will elude you and you will be left with the mess that you created. Respect the power of this quality of cleanliness. Tell the universe that you have cleared the path for wealth and abundance to enter.
Quality 8: Beauty
Beauty is the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit.
Beauty is what you create when you incorporate the other seven qualities into your life. When you take the steps to have harmony, balance, courage, generosity, happiness, wisdom, cleanliness, and beauty in your life, you will exude confidence in who you are. And there is nothing more beautiful than a confident woman. Remember, when you are confident you feel secure, and when you feel secure you have no fear. And when you have no fear, you have the courage to say what you think and feel in a calm and wise way. And when you are calm, you make wise decisions with your money, which then allows you to be truly generous to others as well as yourself, which, in turn, makes you a happy, powerful, and beautiful woman. Do you see how all of these qualities work together to help you arrive at the goal of being a woman in control of her destiny?
Summoning the 8 Qualities
I've noticed, in my own life and in others', that the more you summon these qualities, the easier they are to access. Harmony yearns for more harmony, and balance abhors imbalance. Courage begets greater courage. Once you are generous in the right way, a lesser form of generosity will feel inferior to you. True happiness will never permit you to settle for a lesser form of happiness. Cleanliness recoils at disorder. Wisdom, once achieved, is with you forever, and beauty inspires beauty in all things.
Carry these qualities with you throughout your life. Write them on a notecard and keep them close at hand -- in your wallet or in your pocket. Make it into a talisman to guide you every day as you make your way through life and all its impossible demands. These qualities will keep you focused and tranquil. Let them and they will offer you constant reassurance that you are acting powerfully and correctly, with love in your heart and the purest intentions, to realize your goals of security and comfort for yourself and all you love.
What keeps women from achieving the financial security they -- and their families -- deserve? I believe the root of the problem lies in the dysfunctional relationship women have with money.
That's the launching point for my new book, "Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny." My message to all women: Owning the power to control your destiny requires more than 401(k)s and Roth IRAs. It requires reconditioning from the inside. In this excerpt from "Women & Money," I discuss the eight qualities of wealthy women.
Qualities 1 and 2: Harmony and Balance
Harmony is an agreement in feeling, approach, and sympathy. It is the pleasing interaction between what you think, feel, say, and do.
Balance is a state of emotional and rational stability in which you are calm and able to make sound decisions and judgments.
Harmony and balance are perhaps the most important qualities of all, for they serve as the foundation for the remaining qualities. When you possess true inner harmony, what you think, say, feel, and do is one. We are so accustomed to this split-screen state of mind in which we think one thing, say another, feel something else, and act in a way that has nothing to do with what we just thought, said, or felt. When your thoughts, feelings, words, and actions are not in harmony, it shows up as an imbalance -- you feel agitated, uncomfortable, you sense something is off, so you find it difficult to make rational, calm decisions. This is why these two qualities are a pair.
Quality 3: Courage
Courage is the ability to face danger, difficulty, uncertainty, or pain without being overcome by fear or being deflected from a chosen course of action.
Courage gives harmony expression. When your thoughts and feelings are one, courage helps you manifest them in the form of words and actions. When you are afraid to speak or act, courage helps you overcome your fear. Courage gives you the ability to speak your truth, even when it is not what others may want to hear.
Fear is usually what stands between us and our courage. But if we are to embrace this quality of courage to its fullest, we can no longer allow ourselves to hide behind fear. You can meditate on your fear and think about it rationally and try to will it away, but in the end, if fear is preventing you from acting, you must find your courage and act to overcome your fear.
Quality 4: Generosity
Generosity is when you give the right thing to the right person at the right time -- and it benefits both of you.
Generosity is a quality that most women can tap into very easily -- maybe too easily. As women, we tend to be overly generous with our time, support, love, and money -- but giving simply for the sake of giving does not match the definition of true generosity.
True generosity goes far beyond what you give to others. In giving there is a power, an understanding that you are just the vessel that wealth or energy flows through. You allow money to come in through your hands and out through your heart. To be empowered to give, to be moved to give straight from the heart, is a feeling that all the money in the world could never buy. So let me ask you: Is that how you feel when you constantly give of yourself? Do you feel enhanced or do you feel diminished? You think of yourself as a giver, as generous with your time, your talent, your money. Others probably describe you as a generous woman, but if I were to look at you, I might think you give for the wrong reasons. Do you give because you feel that you should? Do you give out of guilt or embarrassment? Understand that true generosity is as much about the one who gives as it is about the one who receives. If an act of generosity benefits the receiver but saps the giver, then it is not true generosity.
Quality 5: Happiness
Happiness is a state of well-being and contentment.
When you find the courage to live your life in harmony and balance, when you understand and practice generosity in the truest sense, happiness spontaneously appears. When you are happy, you are open and accessible. When you are happy, you tend to be more optimistic. You approach new challenges with a clear mind that seeks positive solutions. You see possibilities rather than problems.
Happiness is not a luxury. It is a necessity for true wealth. When you are happy, you have the satisfaction of knowing that your actions come from a place of purity and balance, that they are correct and generous and kind. There are no regrets in this state of happiness -- and that's a goal worth striving for in all areas of your life.
Quality 6: Wisdom
Wisdom is the knowledge and experience needed to make sensible decisions and judgments, or the good sense shown by the decisions and judgments made from an accumulated knowledge of life that has been gained through experience.
The quality of wisdom is more than intellectual, and it is in no way related to how much schooling you have. Exercising wisdom requires cutting through the noise of life and tapping into your core beliefs to make thoughtful decisions. Wisdom results from inhabiting all the qualities that came before it. A wise woman recognizes when her life is out of balance and summons the courage to act to correct it. A wise woman knows the meaning of true generosity. A wise woman knows happiness is the reward for a life lived in harmony, with courage and grace. A wise woman knows how to summon her courage and do what is right, rather than what is easy.
Quality 7: Cleanliness
Cleanliness is a state of purity, clarity, and precision.
Cleanliness is about respecting the importance of order and organization. When you don't know where your money is, when you have no filing system for your important documents, when you dive into your pocketbook to pull out crumpled bills, when your car looks like a garbage can, when your closets are filled with junk and clutter -- you cannot possibly be a wealthy woman. You need to clean up your act -- quite literally -- to bring true wealth into your life. In India, women sweep the front entrance to their home each morning as a way of welcoming Lakshmi, the goddess of material and spiritual abundance, into their home, for there is a belief that she resides at the threshold of every house. In order for her to enter, she must have a clear path.
You might be reading this and thinking that cleanliness is nice but not essential to your financial well-being. I am here to tell you that if this quality is not up front and center, wealth will elude you and you will be left with the mess that you created. Respect the power of this quality of cleanliness. Tell the universe that you have cleared the path for wealth and abundance to enter.
Quality 8: Beauty
Beauty is the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit.
Beauty is what you create when you incorporate the other seven qualities into your life. When you take the steps to have harmony, balance, courage, generosity, happiness, wisdom, cleanliness, and beauty in your life, you will exude confidence in who you are. And there is nothing more beautiful than a confident woman. Remember, when you are confident you feel secure, and when you feel secure you have no fear. And when you have no fear, you have the courage to say what you think and feel in a calm and wise way. And when you are calm, you make wise decisions with your money, which then allows you to be truly generous to others as well as yourself, which, in turn, makes you a happy, powerful, and beautiful woman. Do you see how all of these qualities work together to help you arrive at the goal of being a woman in control of her destiny?
Summoning the 8 Qualities
I've noticed, in my own life and in others', that the more you summon these qualities, the easier they are to access. Harmony yearns for more harmony, and balance abhors imbalance. Courage begets greater courage. Once you are generous in the right way, a lesser form of generosity will feel inferior to you. True happiness will never permit you to settle for a lesser form of happiness. Cleanliness recoils at disorder. Wisdom, once achieved, is with you forever, and beauty inspires beauty in all things.
Carry these qualities with you throughout your life. Write them on a notecard and keep them close at hand -- in your wallet or in your pocket. Make it into a talisman to guide you every day as you make your way through life and all its impossible demands. These qualities will keep you focused and tranquil. Let them and they will offer you constant reassurance that you are acting powerfully and correctly, with love in your heart and the purest intentions, to realize your goals of security and comfort for yourself and all you love.
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