When an anxious person uses self-help or spirituality for the accumulation of wealth – they are allowing the core wants, the contraction around a thought (one and the same thing as far as I am concerned) to remain in place. Rather than deal with the want, the contraction around a belief, they instead proceed to try to attract or claim what it is they think they need. These needs are not limited to money – it can also be a romantic relationship or a specific job title and so forth. I like what Pastor Colin Dye says in his book, Mastering Your Emotions, in that people often seek to appease their wants through the pursuit of people, power and possessions.
I have noticed that even releasing is marketed, to some extent, through the use of extravagant testimonies of people who gained a million dollars or more “through releasing only”. Just check-out the home page for the Abundance Course/Release Technique and see for yourself. It’s hard to say whether this marketing approach is right or wrong – it’s none of my business really. I suppose it is difficult to market self-help and spirituality (even Christianity) without some striking testimonies that relate personal gain. I do believe that it is perfectly possible to gain a million dollars through releasing – but I would say that those people are likely to already be dealing with large sums of money – businessmen, bankers, stockbrokers or those dealing in real-estate, etc.
I don’t know about you, but I believe in predestination – what happens to you is already planned and you are following that plan. So I believe that it really does have something to do with the path laid out for you by God or “The Universe”. I do not believe that the average guy on the street can simply release his wants and then become a millionaire within a year.
Perhaps you are an “average guy on the street” and you do releasing or inquiry and you do become rich – that is certainly possible. Problems only occur when you get into a self-help or spiritual practice with all sorts of expectations, many of them rather outrageous (if you’ll be honest) – only to feel disappointed after a period of time. It is best to release, inquire and basically seek freedom – freedom from wants and worry. When you are free from worry, you position yourself in the optimum state for getting your needs met and living a prosperous life. When you think about wealth, relationships or whatever it is that you really think you need to be happy – you just hold onto the want and embrace a fantasy – a fantasy that may or may not become true. Then, anything that happens beyond that stage of contentment is a bonus.
I think if you would be truly honest with yourself – what you really want is to feel safe, to be loved and to be happy. I believe that the Christian message of grace, releasing and inquiry is the best means of attaining that goal.
When it comes to financial prosperity, there is so much more to it than simply working hard, being brilliant at your job or even earning a large salary. I have learned that prosperity has a lot more to do with how good you are at managing your finances, making good choices and saving your money when you should (rather than spending it on things you don’t need). There are some people who double their income, but then immediately double their outgoings!
Finances can never become something that you use to plug a hole in your life. It is for this reason that seeking contentment is the first step to living a happy and successful life. Otherwise, you end-up playing the “disappointment game” in which you use constant disappointment to be the thing that motivates you to achieve more and attain more in life. This path inevitably leads to a life of frustration, disappointment and misery.
I like the way that Byron Katie challenges the notion that people need more money: she says, “What are you going to do with all this money? We do three things in life – we stand-up, we sit down and we lie horizontal.”
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