Life Lessons

Wisdom from A Course in Miracles

It’s been said that you’re never given a wish without the power to make it come true.

But how many times have you wished for more success, more money, more love, more __________(fill in the blank), and nothing happened, no matter what you did?

That powerless feeling is one of life’s greatest frustrations. I know from experience.

Years ago, right after my divorce, my ex left the country, leaving me with no money in the bank and over a million dollars in tax bills. I knew nothing about finances. He handled everything.

The tax bills were looming and with 3 young daughters to support, I knew I needed to get smart…and fast. I was desperate.

I’m an intelligent woman—how hard could it be? But no matter how many books I read, classes I took, advisors I talked to, my eyes would glaze over, my brain would fog up and I’d feel hopelessly, incurably stupid.

Then one day, leafing through A Course of Miracles, I read a line that changed everything.

Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.

It was like Spirit handed me the key to financial success…which not one of the books or classes or advisors ever did. I closed the books, stopped going to classes and started searching for my internal barriers to understanding money.

At first, I couldn’t find any. But I kept asking myself over and over: Why don’t I want to be financially responsible? What am I afraid of?  The answers that emerged were entirely unexpected.

I was terrified I that if I managed my money, I’d lose everything, my parents would be furious and, if I actually got smart, no man would love me.

Once I brought those deep-seated beliefs into awareness, once I realized they were not true, but I was clinging to them like life preservers, the veils began to lift.

Everything I’d been reading and studying started to make sense. And in a very short time, I not only got smart about money but have done quite well ever since.

The Course taught me a lesson I’ve never forgotten. The biggest barriers to our heart’s desires are never ‘out there’ but lie buried deep in our psyche—in our unconscious, unhealthy beliefs that are in direct conflict with what we really want.

So, I ask you. What are you wishing for, but haven’t been able to manifest? What do you think your internal barriers are to receiving it? Leave me a comment below.

The Only (True) Antidote for Fear

It’s hard not to freak out these days. Between political chaos, wars, and erratic markets how’s a girl supposed to stay positive and avoid panicking?

I’ve been asking myself that question a lot.  Then I found a way to quiet my anxiety. And I’m excited to share it with you.

It’s called Selective Attention. You focus on what inspires you and stop dwelling on what scares you.

Easier said than done, right?  Which is exactly what I thought…until I remembered the Receiving Journals I handed out years ago at my Sacred Success retreats.

Keeping a Receiving Journal serves the same purpose as tracking your spending.  But instead of increasing your awareness of money going out, a Receiving Journal forces you to face all the abundance flowing in.

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What Do Dollars & Donuts Have in Common?

I’ve long noticed an interesting fact. Women who have problems with money often have problems with food.

Then I read Geneen Roth’s extraordinary book, Women, Food and God, a New York Time’s bestseller. I’ve never met Geneen personally. But I instantly knew she was a kindred spirit.

Geneen insists that food is never the problem. Just as I’ve always known problems with money are never about money.

Rather, says Geneen, overeating is “a doorway to your true nature,” echoing my conviction that financial problems are a doorway to your true power.

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Who Said Money Equals Power?

Money does not give you power. Power comes from the choices you make. That’s a very important distinction. Not all high earners are powerful women.

Successful women fall into two groups. The Successful High Earners and the Hard-driven High Earners.

Hard Driven High Earners are superwomen on steroids, classic workaholics, who’ll breakdown before they slow down. They are not powerful women. They live in deprivation…not necessarily of money, but time, joy, freedom, and control of their life.

Finding Pleasure in a Challenging Process

I remember sitting down to write my first book. I was so excited. Until I read what I wrote. It was awful. I tore up the pages in utter defeat.

This went on for months. I’d write. Read the draft. Rip it up in disgust. Walk away in despair. Eventually the book got written but oh, did I suffer. It was the same with each of my next 6 books.

When I started working on my 8th book, I swore I’d do it differently. And I did. Here’s how I made the process actually pleasurable. I share it with you because even if you’re not writing a book, these steps apply to any project that feels difficult or insurmountable.

A Heroine’s Journey: The Feminine Path to Financial Independence 

In my book, Prince Charming Isn’t Coming, I likened the process of financial independence to a Hero’s Journey.

However, as I have since discovered, Heroines follow a somewhat different path. But those differences are significant.

In traditional accounts, the male Hero, responding to “The Call” (something’s missing or was taken), sets out in search of treasure (the holy grail or helpless maiden). As he travels (outside his comfort zone), he battles dragons and experiences ordeals (his fears), ultimately finding the treasure (something outside of himself).

In this traditional telling, the man is the savior; the woman is the passive princess.

The Heroine’s Journey also begins with “The Call” (she’s unhappy or dissatisfied). Unfortunately, women too often respond by waiting to be saved.

Getting Past Guilt

There’s an old joke: What do you call a woman who feels no guilt? A man.

You may laugh. But sadly, it’s true.  Studies have confirmed that indeed women suffer significantly more guilt than men.

Guilt, simply put, is feeling as if you’ve done something wrong or bad.

Every time you deviate from the norm, from what you ‘should’ do, your Ego goes berserk, using guilt, like a whip, to keep you in check, warning of dreadful consequences if you disobey its rules.

Guilt is self-destructive, immobilizing, a short cut to unhappiness, a hindrance to healing. You know you’re acting from guilt whenever you hear yourself saying I should….

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Impatience vs Acceptance

There’s nothing like a burning goal to inspire you to go for it, full throttle. You’re excited to write a book. You’re eager to grow your savings. You yearn to start a business.

But what happens when you run into the inevitable speed bumps and road blocks?  The fire in your belly can rage out of control. Your drive turns to desperation.

You become convinced that if you don’t make it happen right now, it never will. Impatience is the enemy of success, the death knell to higher aspirations, a sure-fire path to mediocrity.

Your Ego, like an angry parent, is shrieking “hurry up or you’ll fall behind.”

These bogus threats are guaranteed to sap creativity, drain energy, delay progress.

The Secret to Financial Miracles (for proof it works, read till the very end)

(This was inspired by a discussion in my online community, The Wealth Connection. I listened with awe to women who put this principle into practice and reported miraculous changes.)

You want to create financial miracles? Let me tell you how.

The secret is deceptively simple, incredibly powerful, yet can be so uncomfortable, many won’t want to do it.

But if you’re willing to try, and you’re consistent in your efforts, you’ll experience significant change, often within a very short time.

The secret is this: Stop telling your old story.

Stop talking about your life as it’s been: your flaws, your fears, your sorrows and distress.  And start talking about the life you desire to create: who you want to be, what you want to do, how you want to feel, as if it’s already true.

“What you share you strengthen,” A Course in Miracles explains.

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The Real Reason You Self-Sabotage

Think about it. Aren’t all acts of self-sabotage really misguided attempts at self-protection?

Though very few of us see it that way.

Countless women come to me, chiding themselves unmercifully for sabotaging their success by making foolish decisions.  Maybe you’ve done it too.

Spending more than you have. Avoiding what you know is important.  Deferring decisions to another. Giving generously while depriving yourself.

Most of my adulthood was one giant act of financial self-sabotage. I avoided anything to do with money, giving my husband control, while I spent freely and gave generously.

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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