Positive Thinking Means Positive Cash Flow

I have a friend - we'll call her Lisa - who has had some hard times. She's going through a divorce, has two kids from a previous marriage and works long shifts for barely above minimum wage.

Now, Lisa is a good person. In fact, I love her to death. But she's so caught up in what the past has brought her that she can't see the potential of the future in front of her.

What's this got to do with money?

Lisa's long, dreary job is just one in a string of bad career options. She hates where she works, but she hated the places before it just as much. She wants to open her own business, but she won't do anything to get it started because she's convinced that it will just turn out like everything else. Instead of taking steps to build a solid financial future, Lisa has made up her mind that she will forever be poor.

And you know what? She's right.

Like so many of us out there in the working world, Lisa has settled for a paycheck instead of following her dreams. She has resigned herself to a difficult and stressful life instead of focusing her energies on creating something better. Just as hating the idea of Mondays can actually make Mondays unbearable, Lisa has thought her way into a no-win situation.

Yes, she's had some serious rough spots in her life and if anyone deserves a little self-pity, it would be her. But self-pity won't pay her bills. It won't put groceries on the table or gas in her car. And most importantly, it won't allow her to grow.

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you've probably heard of The Secret, one of the latest editions in the Law of Attraction phenomenon that's generating buzz just about everywhere.

But the Law of Attraction isn't new. Its actually been around for well... forever. And while it won't make a million bucks magically appear out of the sky, the underlying premise is definitely true: you can think your way into money.

The Law of Attraction goes like this: what you believe and what you expect is what will be. You create your world through the power of thought, so whatever it is that you're thinking, that's what will come your way.

Now by "thinking", I don't mean those fleeting thoughts that just dash through your mind randomly. I'm talking about the ideas and beliefs that you really give your energy to - the ones that you dream about, stress about, worry about and fear. If your energy is focused on having a flat tire, rest assured your tire will go flat. Not today perhaps, but sometime soon and then you'll say "I knew it!". And you're right - you did. But it wasn't a premonition of something coming and out of your control. Quite the opposite - it was your worry that brought it to you.

This same premise works in the case of money as well. If you believe you're always going to live payday to payday, then that's most likely just what will happen. If you think you can't save for retirement, balance a checkbook or master the stock market, then you're right - you'll never be able to do those things.

The good news is, this door works both ways.

If you look past the obstacles and focus on your success, then that's exactly what you'll get.

Don't believe me?

Here's a little exercise for you then: give yourself a headache. Seriously. Think about your head hurting, your neck muscles tensing and the pounding, throbbing ache in the back of your skull. Really concentrate on it. Feel the dread rising. Know that its coming... you will get a headache and there's nothing you can do to stop it.

If you focus your energies on it, the headache will come. Just like Monday will be a bad day, you won't find anything that fits at the mall and your car will break down. Thus the expression: you get what you expect.

Think this sounds like a lot of metaphysical mumbo jumbo?

Perhaps, but consider this: even if you don't buy into the idea that your thoughts create your reality, you have to admit that your thoughts directly affect your actions. If you're in a bad mood, you'll act accordingly. You won't be as productive. You won't be as creative and you won't have the motivation and inspiration you need to tackle any kind of challenge. You'll be too busy being angry about all the unfairness in your life to effectively focus on anything else.

So, if your perception can affect your performance, doesn't it follow that it can affect your money?

Its not enough to want prosperity and wealth. You have to believe that its already yours.

But how can you do that if you really don't have a dime to spare?

Start by feeling and acting as if you already had everything you needed. That doesn't mean that you go out and buy a $50,000 car, but you could start planning the launch of that home business you've always dreamed of. After all, those old obstacles are no longer a problem for you. You're not trapped in a low-paying job with no way out - just the opposite - you're getting things in order for your big self-employment launch.

It just takes one step, one small act to start things in motion. Treat yourself as if you were already the success you want to be and everything else will naturally fall into place.