Transforming Our Money Stories - November 21st!

Come join us for a one-night experience of calling in money as an ally:

Transforming Money Stories 

$     Do you want to make clear decisions about money?

$     Do you want to understand really belongs to you in your relationship with money?

$     Do you want to release all that financial tension you’re carrying?

There is so much floating around about money – especially recently in the financial crisis-that-is-not-a-crisis (or is it?) of our banking system: anxiety, fear and pain. This unease is a highlight of our issues with money. We have a substantial opportunity to release that right now with the shifting political climate, the openings in the economy and our ability to come together and heal our pain.

Come join us to explore how it can be different!

Friday, November 21^st, 2008

7:00 – 10:00 pm

SF location (given at registration)

Contribution: $75-30 sliding scale

Together we delve into the depths of our awareness. We explore our individual and collective stories and can come to a deeper level of choice - a more profound level of truth.  We call in money as an ally instead of adversary, scapegoat or threat. Through awareness we choose to be in right relationship with money and release old expectations, stories and pain. 

Your facilitators: April Taylor and Briana Cavanaugh

Movement, breath and flow are three things that inspire April Taylor. A Bay Area transplant from Los Angeles, she graduated from Mills College in 1997 with a BA in Women's Studies and Dance. As a Certified Sound Healer and expressive arts teacher, April will weave creativity and expression into our work around money. Guiding us to move into the flow of abundance and to hear empowerment in our new stories. She is a student teacher within the Reclaiming Community, and recently began working with Dancers' Group a dance advocacy organization in San Francisco. 

Briana Cavanaugh is a financial coach, bookkeeping consultant and priestess with a background in non-traditional education, business analysis, ritual and personal growth work. She focuses her accounting and coaching work on the quadruple bottom line: people, purpose, planet, profits. She sees entrepreneurs, couples and non-profit clients in the San Francisco Bay Area. See www.infinitleypossible.net for more about Briana's work and philosophy.

To register or for more info contact Briana: briana@infinitelypossible.net or call: 510.282.1970.

Think and Grow Rich, Really?

When I was a teenager I had a job doing telemarketing. I hated it. Calling people to "book appointments" was loathsome.  I wanted to be doing anything else.  So sometimes I would call in sick when all I wanted was to be doing something else, like hanging out with friends or finishing that homework project (yeah I was a bit of a goody-goody in high school).

But I'm not any good at lying. So in order to call in sick, I'd have to invoke being sick. Have a cough, exhaustion, etc. And in the half an hour to an hour it took me to work up the courage to call and tell that lie I would start to feel really sick. And then I really needed that rest I was asking for.

That's the power of the mind and affirmations combined with taking actions. Saying it can make it so, acting on that information will make it so.  In fact think of a time in  your life, daily life, when you want something you know you're going to get. Like dinner (whether it's groceries, dining in a restaurant or fast food), you know you're going to get it. But you don't just know you're going to get it, you act on that information.

In reading "Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill one of the things he says to so is decide what you want in detail and name what you're willing to do to get it. Then he instructs his reader to say that plan every day, morning and evening and act based on that plan.

That's the essence of working in alignment with your values. 

Values, beliefs, truths, affirmations are all the same thing with different phrasing (and possibly different copyrights) but getting to the same ideas.

"Affirmations" affirm your path, ideas and being.  If you really want to take that business to the next level that you know will require more than one, one-time action, it requires focus, drive and follow through. It takes being impeccable with your word and always doing your best. 

It will take other things as well, depending on who you are, what your business idea or life path you desire and where you are now.  Do you know what those things are? Do you know what qualities you need to invoke for your success? And if you do are you acting based on those ideas or based on other ideas that someone else told you?

That single-minded devotion to your dream takes tools to make it happen. Reminding yourself everyday of your dreams and supports you in making that happen.  In fact it's one of the keys in many personal growth systems. Don Miguel Ruiz in his book, "The Four Agreements Companion Book" says to make your own Book of Law which is about writing down what you believe about yourself and the world in order to create it. "Creating Money: Attracting Abundance" by Duane Packer and Sanaya Roman has affirmations throughout the book as a core practice of writing it as the basic beginning of creating change.  Doreen Virtue, PhD. includes affirmations in everything of hers that I've come across.  And Suze Orman, "Financial Guidebook: Put the 9 Steps to Work" calls is "creating new truths" which is the one of the first steps in her process. 

Whether you call them beliefs, affirmations or truths, we're all getting at the same thing: affirming a positive present and acting on it.

In the first year of my business I doubled my income. I didn'tknow it, but I was using values alignment work. I kept saying to myself, "I'm making more money doing bookkeeping." And so I sought that out. Then it became true which set up a self-fulfilling prophecy.  I went from making $1200 a month to $4000 a month in a year, freelancing, even when other people told me I was nuts.  They told me to go out and get a real job. But I wanted to be doing something meaningful that was not sitting behind a desk. So I chose it, I affirmed it and I acted on it.

So why?  The truth that I can find is that your mind manifests what you believe.  The same is true of negative patterns. If you've spent the afternoon thinking about how fat you feel or how difficult things are, have you found that you see those things? It's the same idea. What you focus on you bring into being.

The deeper truth is that if you're planting your own seeds in your unconscious or conscious mind, it leaves less space for other, negative thoughts to get in there and have a field day of self destruction, defeat, or questioning self worth.  Being active has the added bonus that it creates change much faster than passively receiving negative feedback. You've created your own willingness to have the change that you are intending. You are practicing having what you want.

Affirmations are positive phrasings, written in the present tense about what you want.

"I am a money magnet" is an affirmation

"I want 10,000 a month in income, is not, but "I make at least $10,000 a month" is.

There is more to this process however. Just saying it does not make it so.

They must be accompanied by action.  Saying a thing and acting in alignment with that value, leverages it to make t happen here in the physical world, not just in your head.

Falling Down: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Implementation

In working with clients I get to see their biggest successes and most difficult challenges of their relationship with money.

The big successes in the coaching process with most of my clients, especially the entrepreneurs? Vision. They know what they want. That's a big part of why they went into business for themselves: they can see the possibilities. And once they identify those possibilities, they start to see them in their lives. That's exciting!

The hardest thing? Implementation. The every day follow up on that big dream.  And that shows up in coaching. Some clients get to the goal setting stage and then say to me, "Wow, thanks for the help, I'll take it from here." And they take a break, give up, go out on their own and try to do it all alone.

The vast majority of the time, when I check back in with them in a month or two or six they are in the same place that they were in before they took a break or before they came to coaching at all. I hear frustration and overwhelm, blame and sometimes anger.

And the truth is, it is the every day, day-to-day, get up and go to work that's the hard part. The following up on that vision, keeping it in your sights and staying focusing on what you really want is taxing and time consuming. It's not all roses.  

So what to do?

The first thing to do is notice what's going on.  If we don't acknowledge that there's an issue or a block, it's nearly impossible to change it.  So notice, right now - are you having a difficult time getting what you really want? 

Then as yourself: Are you ready to commit or re-commit to that vision?

If you are, look for support. Coaching helps (that's why I do what I do - it's what I think is needed). Groups like masterminding groups or issue-specific peer groups or group coaching help. Having a money buddy to check in with consistently helps. The basic idea here is to get support to help you be accountable to your vision.

Here are some things you can do with that vision that will help keep you on track that you can do on you own:

* Frame your vision positively.

* Make sure to include not just your vision, but what you're willing to do to get it.

* Make sure that what you're going to do to get it is something that you'll enjoy and is related to your purpose.

* Write it down and post it in a place you'll see it.

* Read you vision to your self twice at day - once in the morning and once in the evening.

* Imagine yourself in your vision, getting what you want and doing what you say you're going to do for five minutes every day.

As always, if you try something I've written about or have an additional idea, please post a comment or email me and let me know!

My experience: Getting Things Done

I've talked a bit about "Getting Things Done" by David Allen. I did implement his system and I thought you'd like to know how it went for me. So here's a piece of my personal journal that I've edited and transcribed here.

"Last week I got the bottom of the 4th stack of Inbox stuff. Entered in Omni Focus, filed, calendared, put away. (Omni Foucs is a program that was written for use with Getting Things Done and was one of the best gifts I've ever received)
I didn't know things could change so much and that I could really let go of holding everything in my head.

"My desk has become a working space rather than storage. I feel confident that I'm holding all the pieces and that I can get to them all. I won't loose them. My computer files are backed up in case something does happen to it. (Thank you to Mozy)

"I found art from camp, important development work, books that have been missing, and cleared out places for old client files and documents that have been waiting to be filed for what seems like years. It's enabled me to do calendaring much further in advance because I know what I need to do and know that it's held in the calendar.

"It feels not just like I've cleaned something, but that I've made a fundamental change in the way that I'm viewing my work and working process. I started applying this to the rest of the house already and it's going to get all the stuff off my plate a piece at a time because in addition to doing the work, I don't have to hold the organizing in my head as well. It's really freeing up a lot of brain space

"The cost of this system: Omni Focus is $80 (Outlook has very similar functionality, if you know how to use it) , Getting Things Done by David Allen $15, inbox, $4, upright file holder, $3, new rolling shelves (not necessary for the system, just for me) $40, new insert for additional cabinet drawer, $8, box of manilla filing folders $6, and time. That's $156. I already had the filing cabinets and hanging file folders. The time it's actually taken me is a couple of hours a few days a week for the last 2 weeks. Plus 6 hours of reading and re-reading.

"This is a very useful system that don't require a ton of cash or a ton of time. Just focus and consistency and it creates that in its use."

What I'm finding is that in having a system that I'm sticking to it's revolutionizing my life. Creating time and ease in places that I've been holding. Needless to say, I highly recommend this system!

Small Business Administration Deals Blow to Women-Owned Businesses

Since many of my clients are small business owners, those who want to be or those who have been (with small business are those with less than 500 hundred employees) I thought this would be of interest.

One of the findings of the SBA has been that even though women-owned business make up 30% of small businesses they receive only 3.4% of the federal contracts. That's not a big surprise for many reasons. It's still not an equitable playing field for women and minorities.

What is a surprise or a sadness really is that the SBA would try to get rid of legislation that supports equalizing the playing field and supporting all people in running successful businesses. Especially in this economic climate where the government is encouraging spending to increase liquidity in the banking and monetary systems.

You can read more about it here

From monetization to interconnectedness: a theory

Today I was reading Charles Eisenstein's blog entry about monetization and came across this quote:

In the face of the impending crisis, people often ask what they can do to protect themselves. "Buy gold? Stockpile canned goods? Build a fortified compound in a remote area? What should I do?" I would like to suggest a different kind of question: "What is the most beautiful thing I can do?"

I'm really impressed both by his understanding of the process and his ability to frame a shift away from the banking system in such positive terms. Additionally he talks about the shift to human-beingness, the idea that now is the time to bring our gifts to the world.

It's a beautiful read, go take a look. And do let me know what you think!

What do you intend?

I've been watching people - friends and clients alike - freak out about the recent financial uproar. It all seems so scary. There's not a lot of information and a lot of speculation and fear.

I found this video amusing and helpful. It's reassuring to think about legislators being willing to speak their truth.

What I've been doing is thinking about how money and our interactions with it transform out lives. I've been holding this quote from Lynne Twist's "The Soul of Money" close to me:

"Money travels everywhere, crosses all boundaries, languages, and cultures. Money, like water, ripples at some level through every life and place. It can carry our love or our fear. It can flood some of us such that we drown in a toxic sense of power over others. It can nourish and water the principles of freedom, community, and sharing. Money can affirm life or it can be used to demean, diminish, or destroy it. It is neither evil nor good; it is an instrument. We invented it, and it belongs squarely in the human experience, but it can be used by and merged with the longings and passions of our soul."

Remembering that we have assets that have nothing to do with our finances is a great benefit right now. Money is part of the human experience, but only one part.

Crisis: Danger or Opportunity?

About Black Monday in 1987...
"I was reminded of the written Chinese character that, depending on the context, defines 'crisis' as 'danger' or 'opportunity.' We realized that, although the stock market would do what it would do, when we let go of the conversation of fear and anxiety, and created a different conversation focused on the bounty of our lives - then out fear subsided. When we approached the circumstances without the noise of fear and high anxiety, the 'crisis' lost its drip on us; the experience of 'danger' did, indeed, transform into opportunity." - Lynne Twist, The Soul of Money

I've been thinking about what to write to support people in dealing with what's being touted as a huge economic crisis. I have a deep need both to contribute positively to the lives of people - both in my practice and community - as well as a desire to change the framing of the conversation.

In re-reading "The Soul of Money" by Lynne Twist, I realized that I have the perfect opportunity right here in this critical moment. The banking system has manufactured a crisis. It is effecting people and it is frustrating and scary and sometimes totally overwhelming. There is danger here. Acknowledging that is crucial to being able to do something else.

And what a blessing. I see two big opportunities here:the first is to count our own, non-material assets and blessings and the second is to get to look at the banking and credit systems cracked open. There's more information available right now about banks and credit than there's ever been. The opportunity to really review what the banking system does and how it functions is a gift. We rarely even consider who we bank with unless something is going on - substantial fees or opening an account or applying for a mortgage. Most people seem to stay with their bank for a long time, sometimes lifetime relationships. So getting a a real chance to see how they work and what decisions they make and how those effect us gives us insight into our own choices.

And there's a real opportunity to take a step back and look at who we, as human beings are. Who do you love? What do you teach? How are you enough just as you are? Who loves you? Who's lives do you touch every day? And most importantly for me, how do we come together in times of crisis to turn that danger into opportunity?

One of the things that I love about my work is that I get an opportunity to reach deeply into people's lives and really help them explore something that they often haven't talked openly about with anyone else - money. I am really blessed with clients and friends who have a deep willingness to look at the choices they make and then do what they really want to do in their lives. Getting to watch that process and be included in that is an amazing gift. I'm very grateful to have this work in my life.

I do have 3 spaces in my practice right now. If you know someone that you'd like me to work with or who might be open to this level of support - in business or personally - please let me know.



P.S. I am aware that the "crisis=danger + opportunity" is sometimes framed as a myth. That idea is based on the character ji being translated as "incipient moment" or "crucial point." I think that opportunity comes at a crucial moment and the interpretation of opportunity as solely positive and without any hint that there might be danger does not reflect the connotations of current usage. Plus, dude, I'm quoting someone who has a good idea, it's all about interpretation.

Sales Tax: Do you sell things?

If you sell things, generally you need to collect sales tax.  In California you'll need to talk to the Franchise Tax Board.  They have a customer service site, that's being fairly useful, though not great. The link to information on getting a permit is here.

The site tells you about the documents you need. You can send your application in the mail or you can go in to the office to do the filing.

My experience is that many government offices, especially around taxes are fairly nice, helpful people who are willing to show you what you need and explain the process. 

Credit consolidation?

Credit consolidation and credit counseling are ideas I've been hearing tossed around quite a lot.

I found a resource recently that I found has been helpful to my clients: Choosing a Credit Counselor.

It's on the FTC's website and includes information about the structure of various agencies, a bit about how to tell if they are legitimate as well as questions to ask them once you're ready to make contact.

If you're considering credit counseling, check it out. And as always, let me know how it works out for you!