Today I want to share three wonderful articles with you on subjects that directly affect the quality of your life. We are going to talk about money, productivity, and personal outlook.
In this challenging economic environment money is the focus of many conversations. Let’s begin by recognizing that money is probably the most emotionally charged inanimate substance there is. It has it’s own distinct energy.
For some, mixed feelings about money create internal conflict and confusion. This is a breeding ground for limiting beliefs that can interfere with the flow of abundance into our lives. But here’s the thing…
We all need money to function.
My friend and colleague Steve Aitchison wrote a very insightful article covering many of the different aspects of money, and the emotions that surround it. The article is titled: “The Energy of Money and How To Make More of It.” Here’s an excerpt…
“As I said in the beginning of this post we have been programmed to believe the pursuit of money and wealth is not good. Get rid of this thought as quickly as you can for it will hinder you from making progress in your life’s goal to create more money in your life. Money is the pathway to freedom for yourself and for others in your life. You will have the ability to help more people by being wealthy than you will be by being poor. Think of this for a moment.” [read the article]
About productivity.
Productivity is another area that lends itself to confusion. Is shear will power the secrete to increased productivity, or is there a more natural approach?
Personal development blogger Steve Olson helps us to appreciate the futility of trying to create by force in his article: “The Secret to Getting Things Done: Acceptance, Love, and Patience.” There is some valuable insight in this article that we can all benefit from. Here’s a taste…
We live in a culture where we are taught from our earliest days that problems are solved by the application of force. Popular culture action heroes and athletes delude us into thinking we can create a better world via physical strength, will power, and force. [read the article]
Your personal view of circumstances.
Are you in control of your life, or are you just a victim of circumstance? This is a question that cuts to the heart of the perception we have of our own reality. This week my good friend Stephen Mills dove right into the deep end of this subject. His article: “Stop Being the Victim” is both powerful and straight to the point. Here’s a quote…
When you play the victim and expect others to come to your rescue, you are shutting yourself off from that tremendous power you have to make a difference. You are creating a self-limiting environment for yourself. You are failing to be 100% responsible. [read the article]
Well, that’s it for this Friday with Friends.
Before you go, let me ask:
Did you find these articles useful?
Which ones did you like the best?
The lines are open!
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The mission of this site is to provide you with all the right strategies and resources to promote and encourage positive change in your life. All of the articles, 
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ll have to go read the article for his full take on it. I’ve always thought that there can be good reasons to want to be wealthy, but usually the path to wealth means focusing 120% on working, and not so much on the other important things in life. I guess it’s just about the balance of finding something that leads you to wealth that you love, and doesn’t take your time away from family, and taking care of yourself physically, mentally and emotionally. Because most wealthy people I know spend most of their time in the office, half their time at home continuing the work, and almost all of the time stressed and busy.
~ Kristi
.-= Kikolani´s last blog ..Fetching Friday – Resources, #FollowFriday, Facebook Usernames & A New Logo =-.
Hi Kristi, you are so right about being balanced when it comes to all the different aspects of life. It’s also very true that people can get obsessed with money and sacrifice more important things. I seem that when we focus on adding value to our world, the rest works itself out.
Jonathan, thanks for the link love. I thoroughly enjoyed the other articles you review here. I love your Friday With Friends days. Tell Steve that I comment on his articles and every time it flags me as spam.
.-= Stephen – Rat Race Trap´s last blog ..Blogging The Brain =-.
Hey Stephen, I thought your article on being a victim was truly excellent. Even the picture was perfect.
I will take wealth, but the hours you have to work can make you poor from neglecting what is most important, family. I have no problem with 7 figures if I can do it in a 40 hour work week.
Socialized and a great article.
.-= Frank J´s last blog ..Sex Lures in Twitter Followers =-.
I agree Frank, money is just a tool. It is useful, but it certainly not the most important thing. If having more money can’t buy you more free time for things that really matter then something’s out of balance.
The Article by Stephen Mills sounds interesting – This is a great lineup and I will check them all out.
Thanks for bringing them to my attention.
.-= Bunnygotblog´s last blog ..Monday’s Mood – Chill, Baby! =-.
Hi Jonathan
Thanks for featuring one of my articles.
Just to comment on Kristi’s and Frank’s comments.
We again have been programmed to work a 40 hour week, who was it that said we had to work 8 hours per day and that’s all we need to do our work? This is a mindset. Did you ever have to hand in an essay at college or university, you had been given 2 months to do it and with 1 day to go you still hadn’t done it yet still managed to hand it in on time?
The point I am trying to make here is that a 40 hour week is arbitrary, I bet that if we were suddenly advised that we had to do all our work that we usually do in a 40 hour week and cut it down to 20 hours or we would be sacked we would somehow be able to do it. The only reason everybodys jobs last 40 hours a week is because it’s the norm and it’s a mindset. We are given too much time on our jobs, well most of us are, we could do the job in much less time than it currently takes if only we could focus for longer and the only reason we can’t focus for longer is because we have to fill up 8 hours per day to be seen to be busy. However if you have your own business you have to focus so you hopefully work less and work smarter.
So, it’s not about working harder to be wealthy, it’s about working smarter. As an example, I used to spend about 10 hours writing 20 articles for article marketing purposes for my various ventures online, now I spend 0 hours writing and still manage to get 20 articles per week, how is that possible? I outsource. I estimate my time is worth around $30 per hour, if I am focused, so writing 20 articles takes me 10 hours which is $300. If I can pay someone $75 for the same number of articles it’s a no-brainer I pay someone the $75. I have just cut 10 hours of work from my time budget leaving me more time to concentrate on my family and enjoying life with them.
.-= Steven Aitchison´s last blog ..The energy of money and how to make more of it =-.
Hi Steven, and thanks for joining us. I was hoping you would stop by and elaborate a bit. The work smarter not longer idea was one of the main reasons I featured this article, but I also appreciated what you had to say about limiting beliefs and greed.
Programming has a subtle but powerful influence on our whole concept of money. Not just the way we approach earning it, but also the emotions we attach to it. I thought you covered these points nicely.
Thanks for sharing Jonathan, already read the articles but it’s always nice to find mentions about them here, I do enjoy your Friday with Friends series.
Understanding we always have a choice is such a critical first step towards living a life of our making. Among people around me, the ones who have their focus of control inside them are always the happier people, have made more progress on their dreams, and are living lives they want to lead.
By the way Jon, thanks a lot for the link love in your column!
Will you be able to update the link as I just had a site revamp, along with a new domain name? It’s now http://celestinechua.com, and no longer embraceliving.net. Thanks so much! 
This post was very intriguing to me. It acknowledged that money is the basis for many people – as it takes on a relationship with one and if effects everyone differently. Money can bring one down or up, depending on many circumstances.
Having said that, money is not everything. Personal outlook is a very important factor as well. If one is negative about all outcomes, then they are more bound to live a negatively charged life. However, if one is positive about outcomes and focuses on the positive aspects of their life (and not so much about financial problems) they are more likely to live a better, more fulfilling life. This is due to laws of attraction. Positive thinkers will attract many friends, therefore opening up networking opportunities and allowing for more information and knowledge to be shared. With this type of lifestyle, one is more likely to succeed, not only financially but emotionally as well.
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