by Halina Goldstein www.key2yourheart.com

The Value of Money ------------------

How much happiness is there in a piece of paper with word "happiness" printed upon it? It depends on person who holds that piece of paper...

How much value is there in a 100 dollar bill? Same thing... If you think you're poor and have just enough to make ends meet, an unexpected 100 dollar bill is very valuable. If you believe you're rich and more money is coming to you all time, an unexpected 100 dollar bill is nice, but not very important. So, it depends on person... But it also depends on what's going around that person. For example:

The "free" game ---------------

In "real world", we expect to pay a certain price for goods we receive: tickets, books, doctor's advice etc. Not so on Internet. Here many people expect - more or less - these goods to be offered for free.

But I wonder what happens to us, to our perception of our own value, when we read these words again and again and again: "take it, it's free", "it's worth 100$ but you get it free", "you don't have to pay".

We might be paying a high price -------------------------------

Not right away, not in terms of dollars. But in terms of value.

If approach is honest, you will understand that free offer is an invitation to exchange something. For example, you give me a possibility to share my expertise in some area, which then leads you to buy a certain product, which you really enjoy, just as I enjoy extra income. We are both being enriched.

Let's now say I consistently give you something for free, without acknowledging that I also receive. Why would I do that you wonder (consciously or not)? There can only be one explanation: we have nothing to exchange. You will feel you have nothing of value to give me. Just as I will feel my product or service is not worth paying for. We will both become poor in process.

Spending and accepting money ----------------------------

Money is about exchange. Although temporarily attached to certain pockets, purses and bank accounts, money is being exchanged all time. It is always in motion - or should be. Money is oil that allows society's wheels to turn smoothly. You don't want to hold on to oil, do you? You just want machine to work as good as possible. Likewise, secret to money is indeed not to hold on to it, but to let it flow, let it come and go where it's needed.

In that sense, when you spend money, you add to whole, you energize flow, you enable wheels to turn, you enable society and its members to take part in exchange.

What is your attitude towards spending? Do you enjoy it? Fear it? Control it? How do you feel about spending money?

Again, when accepting payment, you are not just taking something for yourself. You enable flow, movement can continue, enriching you as well as everybody else. So how do you feel about accepting money? Do you feel good when you accept payment? Do you accept payments as big as they should be? Do you know how to set a price on your work or your goods? Would you accept payment from a friend?

Love and Wealth ---------------

Saying "spending is a way of adding to abundance of all" is not quite correct. It would be more precise to say, that by spending and accepting money you share abundance that is around you.

Wealth is a state of mind. It is seeing wealth around you and connecting to it.

Although this might sound outrageous, wealth is somewhat like love. The more you give, more you receive. But then - you can't give love really and you can't keep it either. Love doesn't belong to anybody. Love is free. Love is a feeling, an energy, an awareness. Love is something that connects us and unites us - if we let it. It's same with wealth.

Obstacles ---------

Love is right here where you are, endlessly. But you can keep it at a certain distance. We all do that to some degree, for our own reasons. The reason can be called an obstacle, a blocker. An experience, a thought, a feeling that stands between you and endless abundance (of love or money).

The blocker can make you feel that there's no love (or money) available to you. It can prevent you from receiving it, or feeling good about giving it. That's OK. It still can't prevent you from looking...

Beyond blocker ------------------

So what is answer? All feelings expressed by Sue are real and none are going to go away with a drop of hat. So what can be done?

The conversations we had together started with her thoughts. We have a choice between quality thinking and quantity thinking. When Sue drops into quantity thinking, like here, she generates many useless thoughts that swirl around in her head making her tired, and reducing her self respect. The problem is that world rewards quantity thinking. It makes us think that we have to be in control all time. Makes us feel inadequate if we don’t cover all bases.

The alternative is quality thoughts. With good quality thoughts we recognize our greatness and what is possible in life. We get to experience happiness and self respect.

During our conversation we asked Sue: what was she good at?

What qualities did she admire in herself?

What did she think were her greatest successes in life?

What are her particular strengths that she could depend on now and in future?

In quality thoughts she was giving love, and attention to herself. She was not telling herself any lies. She was just refocusing her thoughts. You don’t have to think of a number of thoughts to uplift you, one quality thought has power to uplift you in a second