Prosperity Tip: The Subconscious Connection

I made a comment in the book and have mentioned the same thing in presentations… and every now and again my husband reminds me that I may be misleading people by saying it. So, for the record I’d like to set it straight here, and then clarify it in the next edition of the book.

Fact: your results will always be a reflection of the thoughts and ideas in your subconscious mind. Change your results by taking control of what’s in the subconscious. How?

In the past, I have said that an idea is planted in the subconscious mind through emotion; that emotion is the pathway from the conscious to the subconscious mind. However, that is not entirely the case. My point in saying so was that if you don’t like the results you are getting, you can change the predominant ideas in your subconscious mind by choosing your thoughts and then by adding emotion to them.

Here’s the point my husband wants me to clarify. Thoughts and ideas are constantly reaching your subconscious mind whether or not you add emotion. So long as you don’t consciously REJECT certain thoughts, they’ll slip right in. So the pathway is not necessarily emotion, but you nourish your subconscious thoughts with emotion, and the ones to which we give the most emotion will grow and manifest in our reality.

What if you can’t seem to generate emotion for the prosperous thoughts you are trying to nourish? The answer is with repetition. Create your gratitude statement of how you want things to be (written in present tense), and read it out loud every day. Repetition nourishes the thought just as emotion can. In time, prosperity for YOU will become believable, and once you really believe it, the emotion will flow!

Parked, or Rolling Toward Prosperity?

Last week I sent a message inviting “those who have read Jackrabbit” (if they have seen amazing things happen as a result) share their success story with Oprah and, if they feel so inclined, recommend the book to their producers for a follow-up to the spot they did on "The Secret" - law of attraction.

The majority of the responses I received was enthusiastic and supportive. A few (who admitted they haven’t read Jackrabbit) responded with a question: If I practice what I preach, shouldn’t I just put the intention out to the Universe and let it deliver what I’m asking for without asking my readers to "help me get on Oprah"? Fair question.

Remember, the key to putting the principles to work for you is that you must know what you want, see it in your mind as though you already have it, FEEL the victory now, and then when an idea comes to do this or that, you must act on the idea.

When you are striving to accomplish something, you must act on your present surroundings, like the acorn in the ground. The acorn does not need to act on the nutrients in the ground that are 3 feet away… it must act on the nutrients in the ground that are already in contact with it. In time, it will be able to connect with the needed elements a few inches away, and then a few feet away, simply by taking action right where it is.

My message last week was one of those ideas that showed up, and sending it out was acting on my present surroundings. Someone suggested I send Oprah's producers a book. Someone else suggested I go to New York and meet with a bunch of media representatives. I fully expect that those other suggestions may likely be part of what I do at some point, but the timing isn't right yet. It doesn't fit... yet. I have to trust my feelings.

By suggesting that my readers contact Oprah.com to share their stories and recommend Jackrabbit Factor for a show, I risked ridicule... judgement... and a possible flurry of unsubscribes. Taking action is scary, and yet I’ve discovered: it’s necessary and the fear is normal. I’ve also learned that having people unsubscribe is not a bad thing. I prefer to surround myself with like-minded people, so if I ever say something that turns someone off, I wish them well and know that they will find what they are looking for elsewhere.

So what is the outcome of my acting on the thought? Who knows! All I know is that I don’t have to beat myself up for suppressing the thought. I have no need for regret. I trust that in time, if it is truly in harmony with my ulimate goals, it will come together just as it should. I have a clear mental picture of how I want my life to be, the prosperity I expect to enjoy, and intend to act on the thoughts that come to me along the way.

Understand, being on Oprah is not a “goal.” It’s not a destination. The ultimate goal is the vision I have for my family, and the positive difference I hope to make for other families across the globe. God only knows how best to bring it about, but He does expect me to move my feet. After all, you can’t steer a parked car.

What about you? What are your goals for prosperity? Are you at least rolling, even if you're not sure you're headed in the right direction? Do the best you know how with your worthy objectives and keep the thought: "stop me if I'm wrong!" in the back of your mind. So long as you are at least rolling, God can steer you. We may make some mistakes along the way, but remaining frozen is probably the worst mistake of all.

What if My Spouse Doesn't Believe in Prosperity?

I’ve had this question come in time and again about how much our thoughts can influence a situation if our spouse’s thoughts do not support our own. If we shouldn’t manipulate another person’s free agency, how does this all work in a marriage if both parties are not on the same page?

Some people have a gift of strong faith, and others must struggle to develop it. If you have an easier time with it than your spouse, it may be your role to encourage, inspire, and exercise patience. Your challenge will be to demonstrate faith in SPITE of your spouse's doubt. See how we grow? Even those who have a natural tendency for faith will be tested.

Remember: positive, faithful thoughts are multiple times more powerful than negative ones. Your spouse’s negative thoughts will not sabotage yours so long as YOU maintain a peaceful expectancy for that which you seek. PEACEFUL expectancy for prosperity... not manipulative!!!

Picture your spouse happy. Feel the relief and gratitude you expect to feel when things are better. Imagine the prosperity. As the nature of your thoughts improve from critical to cheerful, the general feeling in the home will improve… and you’ll find that the rising tide lifts ALL ships.

Your vision won’t force your spouse to change, but it could create an energy in the home that inspires it to happen. It might help your spouse feel better about his/her challenges. Once s/he feels a little better, and begins to imagine the possibilities, opportunities will naturally follow, by the law of attraction.

Wives, if your main concern is that your spouse doesn’t provide well enough, you must focus on the “why” you want him to have a better job, because if the “why” is what you’re after, the “how” may end up being something you never even thought of. It could happen without a different job. The job itself could morph, or some other opportunity may come along.

Your thoughts do have power to bring him opportunities… but he’s the one that has to choose whether or not to take them. Bottom line, focus on the picture of your life the way you want it, and don’t worry about him… because if you attract the opportunities, and he chooses not to take them, you’re setting yourself up for frustration.

Ask him whether or not he minds if you try to picture a better opportunity on his behalf. He may be more supportive than you think, and may end up testing the principles for himself as he sees things work for you. Best of all, you’ll begin to work together as one to achieve common goals. There is little else more powerful than that.

In fact, you may even be turned on to a way to get what you need without a change in his income. Trades, gifts, odd windfalls… keep an open mind. As Wattles puts it, you “image” the thing, and the Universe will find the most efficient way of bringing it to you. Don’t pinch off the possibilities by deciding how it has to happen. You need to have fun daydreaming AND at the same time, relax about the “how”.

Above all, be open minded and grateful for however things line up. Let your “statement” include something about how grateful you were at how easily the opportunity presented itself, and that it was something your hubby could be excited about. (“Could” being the key word here; it will still be his choice.)

If he doesn’t respond the way you hope, be grateful anyway, trusting that God is leading the both of you along to learn the lessons He has in mind for you. Count it all a blessing.

In summary…

How to blow it: picture what you want, and wait for your husband to make it happen. (You’ll end up in a negative “vibration” that will repel the things you want.) You’ll drive BOTH of you crazy if you’re always measuring his behavior against your goals.

How to succeed: picture what you want, see the prosperity in your mind, and enjoy the daydream, and then take the actions that come to YOUR mind. Trust God to inspire your mind to show you exactly what you should do next. You’ll be shown how to meet your obligations and thrive, all the while maintaining the values that are most important to you.

Knowledge eradicates fear and doubt. The more you understand, the more effective you'll become at applying the law of attraction favorably. Claim one of our last home study programs on cassette at 36% off regular price (we're moving to CDs - same great info at a fraction of the cost, while supplies last).

"Perfectionism" and Prosperity

We live in a time when life comes at us faster than it ever has in the history of the world. We get stressed, overloaded, and overwhelmed. Under these pressures, it is hard to remain calm… the state of mind necessary to live in harmony with the (positive aspect of) Law of Attraction. Often we get discouraged and lose faith, simply because we spend so much time beating ourselves up for our flaws.

To attract the blessings you’re praying for requires a calm and confident state of mind. But when we’re disappointed in ourselves, it is tough to have faith. The problem is, so long as we’re not perfect, there’s always something to be disappointed about. So what do we do about that? How can we have peace of mind when we’re so imperfect? How can we achieve prosperity so long as we fall short of perfection?

Do we have to THINK, BEHAVE, and DO everything perfectly in order for the blessings to come? No.

In “Hidden Treasures: Heaven’s Astonishing Help with Money Matters” I mention that I had a perfectionist mentality for many years, until, after I married and had children I discovered to my dismay how literally IMPOSSIBLE it is to be perfect, even when you give it all you’ve got. For a simple example, I’d make a commitment to study a certain amount each day or week, and I’d sit down to read… just as a baby in the other room would wake up and start to fuss. Or, I’d get the kids to bed and open my books just to hear some crying and then one of the toddlers would throw up.

It seemed that something always got in the way of my ability to make a commitment to myself and keep it. I had gotten pretty good at “self-mastery” before starting a family, but all that changed after the first baby. No longer did I have much say in how my time would be spent, even with all of my good intentions of living a disciplined, structured life.

Finally, one day I surrendered in despair. I realized I had become a cranky, sloppy person with the utter inability to finish anything I tried to start. Anything that did get done was done half-shod. I collapsed in tears and expressed to God how sorry I was that I was such a failure. I was devastated and confessed that I was doing the best I knew how, and that as poorly as I was doing, it was all I could do.

For the first time in years I felt Him really smiling down on me. It was as if He was saying, “FINALLY you realize your dependence on me! NOW we can proceed!”

Everything changed after that. How does this lesson apply to me now? I still have all the interruptions that come with family life… even more now than ever. In fact, I just had a paper airplane hit me in the head and I'm not even kidding.

I don’t have time to plan, prepare, and execute much of anything as perfectly, professionally, or impressively as I should. Let’s say I’m selling something, and if doing the presentation poorly could cost me the deal, I have two choices. I can either think “oh, dear... I did such a bad job” or I can think, “that’s just going to have to be good enough.”

Which mentality will bring success? Which mindset leads to prosperity?

Now that I know my best is never going to be good enough, and now that I know that God understands and is okay with that (so long as I really try), I rely on Him to make up the difference for my inadequacies. When I’m trying to do a good job and I blow it anyway, I think of Him and pray that He can make something useful out of my less-than-perfect efforts.

So long as I have believed that, I’ve seen miracles.

So then, do we have to THINK, BEHAVE, and DO everything perfectly in order for the blessings to come? No. We will not live the principles perfectly, no matter how hard we try. BUT, we can think of God when we come short, and pray for mercy.

Let me give you an example. My husband and I made the mistake recently of trying to purchase two investment properties and refi our primary residence all at the same time. The underwriters on every one of those deals freaked out when they discovered what we were doing. The first home went through relatively easily, but the second home was tough. They kept coming back with hoops that we had to jump through: telling us we had to show outrageous amounts available in certain accounts that also had to be seasoned for so many months, etc…

Each time we managed to jump through one hoop, they came back with yet another and another and another. It became rediculous. Originally they only needed to see X amount in the bank for closing costs and 3 months worth of payments in reserve. Then, seeing us as a risky investment, it turned into something like X times two and 6 months in reserve, which eventually stretched to 12 months plus a letter stating we weren’t accruing more liabilities, even though they already knew we were. It seemed as though they had long since decided not to extend the loan and were trying to be unreasonable on purpose.

After meeting their requirements over and over, it finally became impossible to do what they asked. We were so weary of the whole thing that we were ready to just let it go. We had done all we could do. Then a simple thought came to mind: we don’t have to come up with all that extra money and we don't have to do everything they are asking… all this would take is for one person in underwriting to simply have a change of heart.

Suddenly it all seemed so simple, because it was going to be so much easier for us to pray for one person’s heart to change, than to pray for another $20-40,000 (or whatever it was they were asking for) to show up in our account by the next day, WITH a viable explanation as to where it came from.

We emailed our loan officer and told her to let them know that we would not be providing them proof of the funds they were asking for. The next day, our loan officer called and said that they had one final simple token request, and it would be a done deal. There was no more mention of the large sum of money they had wanted before. It all finally went through.

The point? “You need not run faster than you have strength.” When perfection is impossible (and it always is), God makes up the difference if you will ask for His help and then believe in Him.

A woman prayed: “Dear Father, I’ve been doing really well today… so far I haven’t yelled at the kids, cussed, thrown anything around in anger, overeaten, overspent, or overlooked my responsibilities… I haven’t watched too much TV, nor driven too fast. I’ve been good natured and cheerful to everyone around me… But Father, it’s morning now, and time to get out of bed. From here I’m really going to need your help.”

That’s what it comes down to: reliance on that higher power. If you choose to believe that somehow, God makes up the difference between your efforts and what’s required, then it’s that very belief which puts you in the right state of mind to receive the blessing… even when you don’t “deserve” it. In all honesty, none of us really “deserve” it. Only by the grace of God are we even breathing. So, to reach our goals, what does He require? Belief. Belief that He has a way to make up for our failings, and asking Him to help.

So, believe in prosperity. Do what you can, and then say to yourself, “this is just going to have to be good enough.” Can you see how thinking this way is in harmony with the law of attraction? If we think we aren’t doing well enough, and if we think that our inadequacy will prevent us from succeeding, then we’re right. Trust God to fill in, believe that He will, and you’ll succeed.

I just got hit in the head again. I've tried to edit this article as I've gone along, and now that I'm at the end I really should run through it one more time to make sure it comes across the way I wanted it to, and make sure the sentences are readable and flowey, but a precious little 5 year old has been trying to get my attention for more than two hours, so… it’s just going to have to be good enough.