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Problems? Show Some Gratitude!

People often ask me what were the biggest surprises I had when interviewing successful women. This is definitely one.

I never expected how many told me they were actually grateful for past tribulations.

In fact, most admitted, they might never have succeeded had they not been challenged. They considered their past problems an asset and, even more, they appreciated themselves for tackling them head on.

Always Say Yes!

Just say yesWhether it’s to your heart’s desire or your boss’s request.

So what if you don’t know what you’re doing.

The quickest way to become a High Earner is not to wait until all bases are covered or for opportunities to fall at your feet, but to go out and consciously seek them.

There’s only one way to reach those higher levels—you go as far as you can with all thayou’ve got, and when you fall down, you pick yourself up and keep right on going.

Thank You!

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you…that will be enough. ~~Meister Eckhart

Today, in the spirit of Thanksgiving and a 13th century mystic, I’m taking this opportunity to say Thank You…

…to all of you who are reading this blog, even if it’s the only time you ever do, I truly appreciate you reading it today.

…to everyone who’s ever written to tell me how my work has impacted your life, you have no idea how your words have impacted mine. In fact, I have printed out and saved every one of your notes and emails.

…to anyone who’s bought my books and perhaps passed it onto a friend, this means more to me than you’ll ever know.

…to those of you who’ve joined my groups or signed up for coaching, I’m endlessly grateful you trusted me to guide you, while teaching me to be a better guide.

Don’t Believe You Can Make More Money? Doesn’t Matter!

Want to know an important secret to making more money? Certainty, or lack of it, is inconsequential.

You don’t need to be convinced you can do it. You need only be open and receptive to the possibility.

So many of high earners I interviewed, when the thought of making big money first crossed their minds, never really believed they could actually do it.

 Nor did they know precisely how they would add another zero or two. In fact, most hadn’t the vaguest idea.

Which is exactly how I, a chronic underearner, always felt. One of the most hopeful messages I learned from successful women is that we need not fully believe something is possible, much less have a full-blown plan firmly in place.

We just have to decide what we want and be willing to do whatever comes next.

Letting Go

Here’s a foolproof strategy for getting unstuck. You must let go of where you are to get to where you want to go.

Clinging to the security of the familiar ledge prevents us from discovering what awaits us in the future.

The ledges in our lives offer the illusion of safety, but in truth their only value is to keep us hanging.

These ledges take many forms, both concrete and intangible. They can look like unfulfilling jobs, unpleasant relationships, inappropriate goals, untrue beliefs, unhealthy habits, bottled-up emotions.

Every successful woman I interviewed who finally let go (as hard as it was), cited that single act as the springboard to higher earnings and happier times.

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Here’s Where You’ll Find Success…Guaranteed

If success seems to elude you, here’s a guaranteed approach for finding it. Do what you don’t want to do, are afraid to do, think you can’t do.

Whenever you decide to do something different—whether it’s making more money or changing careers—success always lies just outside your comfort zone.

The only way you’ll succeed is by stretching beyond what feels comfortable to what may seem impossible. .

The ability to tolerate discomfort—doing what might not feel good, but doing it anyway—is the only path to financial success.

For us pleasure-seeking, pain-avoiding creatures, that’s a very tall order. It’s certainly not comfortable to face up to a challenge, acknowledge a problem, and it’s especially unnerving to eschew our habitual ways of handling them.

Yet, that’s exactly what’s required. The real work in raising the bar is to stop doing the same old thing you’ve always done, to try out new strategies, to ignore false alarms, to resist the urge to quit, and refuse to fall back into familiar terrain.

Problems Are Your Starting Points

I saw it so clearly, when interviewing successful women. Their financial achievement was invariably preceded by a financial challenge.

Problems have a purpose. They’re trying to get our attention.

The place to begin when faced with a problem is admitting what’s not working in your life. It could be anything from bankruptcy or burn out; from feeling undervalued or overworked; from getting a divorce, or desperately wanting one.

No matter how subtle, how small, or how sizable and scary, your willingness to face the problem head on the first step to breaking through it.

Facing a problem means looking it straight in the eye, even if you haven’t a clue what to do about it…especially if you haven’t a clue.

You Can’t Do That!! Who Do You Think You Are?

We all have internal critics. The ones that tell us what we can’t possibly do, how we’re sure to screw up if we even try.

Those voices may never shut up. Mine sure haven’t.

But recently I had an epiphany. Just because I hear voices in my head, doesn’t mean I have to heed them.

As Vincent Van Gogh once said: If you hear a voice within you say ‘you can not paint,’ by all means paint and the voice will be silenced.”

Instead I just keep reminding myself: that’s not my voice. It’s the voice of my dad, the culture, teachers, something ‘out there.’ But it isn’t mine.

Then I simply say to that voice: Thank you for sharing. Then I replace that critical voice with a more positive statement, a personal mantra or affirmation.

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Who’s Got Your Back?

Have you noticed, in gyms, when guys are lifting really heavy weights, they often ask someone, usually a perfect stranger, to spot them?

It’s known as The Law of Heavy Lifting. I also call it The Law of Higher Earnings.

How many times have you seen a woman, while working out, tap someone to spot them? I never have.

We’ll hire trainers, but ask another to spot us, especially if we think they’re ‘busy’? Doesn’t happen! Why?

For one thing, we rarely lift very heavy weights. But more likely, it’s because we don’t want to bother anyone. And too often, we’re determined to do it alone.

Financial success, however, requires lifting heavier weights in order to build up our confidence, strengthen our resolve and climb to greater heights.

For this, we need our spotters, people we trust to have our backs, push us further, give us feedback.

Inflation Protection

If you can fog a mirror, you’ve probably heard. Inflation is the highest it’s been in decades.

Inflation is a ravenous creature that devours our dollars like a caterpillar on a leaf–slowly, methodically, little bits at a time. But this recent bout seems more like a famished elephant.

The only way to counter the ravages of rising prices is to make sure at least some of your savings is working harder than it would in a bank, where it earns next to nothing.

In normal times that means the stock market. But with markets in turmoil, many of us are looking for safer alternatives. That’s why I got so excited when I read Jason Zweig’s column in this week’s Wall Street Journal.

“Fortunately, raising the return on your cash is easier than ever,” he declared. “The two best choices are money market funds and U.S. Treasury securities.”

Meet Barbara Huson

When a devastating financial crisis rocked her world, Barbara Huson knew she had to get smart about money… and she did. Now, she wants to empower every women to take charge of their money and take charge of their lives! She’s doing just that with her best-selling books, life changing retreats and private financial coaching.

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