Losing Sleep Over Sinking Markets? Advice from a Wall Street Expert…and a Veteran of 2 Major Crashes—Me!

Written by Barbara Huson

Last week, the market took the worst dive since 1987. Ahhhhh, yes, 1987. I remember that October day quite well. Black Monday they called it.

I’d been in the market for about a year. I knew nothing about investing, but I trusted my broker. However, when the market went into free-fall, I went into full blown panic.

I called my broker, insisted he sell everything. He begged me not to, insisting the market will go back up…it always does.

I didn’t listen. If I’d stayed put, like he instructed, I’d be a lot richer today.

Yet it was a priceless lesson.Ten years later, in 1997, almost to the day, the market crashed again. Only this time I didn’t see disaster. I saw a sale.

Fast forward to today. I’m not saying you should go on a buying spree. Though it is a sale. But I am imploring you not to sell everything in a panic. Investment decisions, based on emotions, rarely end well.

However, if your nervous system can’t stand the heat, don’t rush out of the kitchen or do anything rash. Take advice from my favorite financial writer, Jason Zweig,

“If you feel you can calm yourself only by ditching some stocks,” he wrote in last Fridays Wall Street Journal, “sell a fixed amount each month for the next year.” By taking small steps, and automating them, you take the emotion out of the decision.

And if you’re going to sell, sell the losers, he advised. “That will turn some of your losses into cash—and a write-off on your taxes.”

Or, instead of selling, “You could direct your dividends into cash, rather than more shares, for now.”

I’d love to hear how you’re reacting to this crazy market? Buying? Selling? Waiting and watching? Or frozen in fear? Leave me a comment below.

A Spiritual Solution for Scary Times*

Written by Barbara Huson

*Adapted from my upcoming book: Rewire for Wealth

I’m turning to A Course in Miracles (ACIM) a lot more these days.

As many of you know, ACIM is a spiritual text that calls itself “a course in mind training,” and declares its sole purpose is “to restore awareness of the power of the mind.”

I may not be able to control the frightening unfolding of current events. But I can use the power of my mind to control how I react to them.

“The only way to make prudent decisions in a plunging market”, my favorite WSJ columnist, Jason Zweig, recently advised, “is by creating a circle of calm around yourself.”Amen to that!

How do you train your mind to “create a circle of calm?” You must understand what ACIM calls “the most important concept that exists in the universe:” The Law of Cause and Effect.

ACIM (as well as neuroscience, quantum physics and many spiritual teachings like Buddhism) explains this law very differently from the more generally accepted Newtonian version.

To the world, a cause is an external incident which produces an internal effect. The market crashes (cause) and you panic (effect). But this view is very disempowering. Blaming something or someone else for ‘making’ you unhappy or fearful turns you into a victim.

According to ACIM, nothing ‘out there’ has anything to do with you feeling happy or upset. Your thoughts are always the cause. If you want to change the effect (your experience)—greater abundance, more happiness, increased peace of mind—you must first change the cause (your thoughts).

Mind training is about far more than positive thinking. It requires you to shift the source of your feelings from the world out there and point your finger where it belongs—your own mind.

Or as ACIM puts it: “Seek not to change the world, but choose to change your mind about the world.”

When you understand how to control your thoughts, you’ll discover how much power you have to create the life you desire.

What thoughts do you need to change for greater peace of mind? Leave me a comment below.

The Only (True) Antidote for Fear

Written by Barbara Huson

It’s hard not to freak out these days. Between the rapidly spreading coronavirus and the deeply plunging 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 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.

As A Course in Miracles tells us: “Every day a thousand treasures come to me with every passing moment.” The problem, however, we fail to notice those numerous treasures, especially when fear is ever-present.

To fully access the power of a Receiving Journal, you must understand this: everything that happens is a gift for the receiver, whether it feels ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ The challenge, of course, is to find the treasure in what may seem unpleasant. But even the good stuff can be challenging to receive.

For example, I started noticing how often I’d gloss over expressions of praise or appreciation, without fully taking in the words. So I started listing, in my journal, every compliment I got.

And when I had a tiff with my husband, I actually stopped to figure out the gift. I not only discovered a pattern I was repeating that had messed up other relationships, but it led to the most loving discussion. This went in my journal too.

It’s only been a few days, but I feel a big difference. I’m actually happier, more loving. Maybe that’s what a Receiving Journal is all about. Not just expanding our ability to receive, but actually increasing our capacity to love.

After all, says the Course, love is the only antidote for fear. “Any attempt to master fear is useless. The true resolution rests entirely on mastery through love.”

Are you open to receiving or do you resist? Leave me a comment below.

Pruning vs Pushing

Written by Barbara Huson

A little over 10 years ago, in a rush of adrenalin brought on by a surge of ambition, I suddenly shifted into high gear. I hired a team, restructured my website, created a new marketing campaign, purchased complicated new software, and created all sorts of new products. I was driven.

Until my enthusiasm dwindled and I couldn’t understand why. The answer came loud and clear when I helped my daughter, an organic farmer, prune the fruit trees.

“If you don’t prune back most of the new buds,” Anna explained, “too much of the tree’s energy goes into producing foliage instead of growing fruit. You don’t want the trees to spread themselves too thin, reducing the amount of fruit they bear.”

The metaphor was inescapable. I was that fruit tree, spreading myself too thin, letting too many budding projects sap my creativity, my energy, my focus.

Busyness, or the act of spreading oneself too thin, is an occupational hazard for high achievers. It’s basically the absence of discipline. Discipline means doing with discernment, thoughtfully pruning rather than tirelessly pushing.

I wonder if we instinctively recoil from discipline, like a kid ordered to eat veggies. It may be good for us, but damn it, we’re not going to like it and we’ll try anything to get out of it.

Instead we slip straight into our drug of choice. I call it ABTS—“Addicted to Busyness Syndrome.” We stuff every cranny of our lives with so much activity that we’ve lost touch with what’s really essential and what’s truly irrelevant.

But ask us to lighten our load, actually say no to a task, and we start to panic. As if our world would shatter if we slowed down.

Over time, I learned to value Disciplined Action—making prudent, sometimes unpleasant choices, doing what I need to do to, even if it’s not what I want to do. It’s the only thing I’ve found that allows me to successfully do what I love without sacrificing my sanity, or my Soul.

Where are you pushing in your life when you should be pruning? Leave me a comment below.

Financial Challenges are Your Friend

Written by Barbara Huson

I’ll let you in on a little secret. Anyone can create wealth. Yes, even you, regardless of your current situation. I’ll tell you how.

First, pinpoint your biggest Financial Challenge. It could be anything from a gnawing sense you’re unhappy at work to the gut-wrenching pain of staggering debt.

Next, realize that this Financial Challenge is about far more than money. It‘s a profound opportunity for personal transformation; the call of your Soul trying to get your attention; the starting point for creating wealth and claiming your power.

Finally, by committing to resolve your Financial Challenge, you’ll open the door between the life you now live and the amazing life that’s patiently waiting for you to take action.

There is no magic bullet for resolving a Financial Challenge. Nor would you want one. It is the process that’s empowering, a three-pronged process:

1) The Outer Work of Wealth—adhering to the Rules of Wealth: Spend less; Save More; Invest Wisely.

2) The Inner Work of Wealth—exploring your attitudes, beliefs and early decisions you made about yourself and money.

3) The Higher Work of Wealth—understanding the laws of the Universe so you can manifest your destiny and make a difference in the world.

As you begin taking small steps to resolve your Financial Challenge, one of two things will happen. Either you’ll resist, give up and fall back into the familiar. Or your life will dramatically change, not only with money, but in other areas as well.

What’s your biggest financial challenge? Are you ready to resolve it? Leave me a comment below.

Take action to bring your dreams to life. My virtual community, The Wealth Connection, is the place to find the support you need. Join Today!

Are You an Underearner? Part 2

Written by Barbara Huson

Underearners (UEs) can be hard to spot. Here are seven traits that all UEs share.

1. Live in financial chaos—UEs tend to go from one financial crisis to another, struggling to make ends meet, often drowning in debt.

2. Vagueness about money—UEs usually have no idea how much money

they have, earn or need and depend on wishful thinking instead of strategizing and negotiating.

3. Underestimates worth—UEs give away their time, knowledge, skills for free or bargain prices because they devalue themselves.

4. Anti-money attitude—UEs are ambivalent or downright negative about money and people who have it, believing there is virtue in being poor.

5. Self-saboteurs—Bright women remain UEs primarily by taking on too much, being scattered and unfocused or procrastinating.

6. Co-dependent—UEs put everyone else’s needs first, which leads to anger, resentment and pain (not the qualities conducive to success).

7. Craves comfort—UEs are unwilling to be uncomfortable and therefore unwilling to take risks.

Did you say to yourself, Yes, that’s me, as you read this? If you struggle with Underearning tell me about it in the comments below.

The Lesson at the Liquor Store

Written by Barbara Huson

So, I’m standing in line at the liquor store, holding 2 bottles of a Chardonnay on sale for $3.99. (Who can refuse a bargain like that?)

An elderly woman is paying the clerk. Behind her, in front of me, a scruffy guy with a bottle of Jack Daniels fumbles with the Lottery machine.

“Maybe I’ll win,” he says to no one in particular.

I say, remembering an article I read, “Did you hear about the couple who won a $20 million lottery and gave it all away because they didn’t want it?”

The elderly woman whips her head up and says: “I’d give it away too. What would I do with $20 million?”

And the scruffy guy agrees: “So would I. Hell, I’d probably just spend it all on booze anyway.”

Refusing the temptation to ask him why, then, he was buying a lottery ticket, I declared: “Not me. I’d give some of it away, but there’s a lot I could do with that money.”

You’d think I told them I was about to shoot the Pope. There was a collective gasp, a look of shock, and for a split second, I actually felt ashamed of wanting millions.

And then I realized—People are about as rich as they want to be. For many, wealth is more a burden than a blessing.

But the real epiphany came when I turned to the woman behind me, and asked what she’d do.

“My first thought,” she said, “was I’d have enough money to paint my house.” Then she chuckled. “It just occurred to me how small I was thinking. I mean, I could buy a bigger house with that money. Maybe I need to start thinking bigger.”

Maybe we all need to start thinking bigger! So, in the spirit of thinking bigger, ask yourself: What would I do if I won a $20 million lottery?

Want bonus points? Answer this: What steps can I start taking now to bring those dreams to life…even if I never win a lottery???

I’m betting you, my readers, will have a different reaction than the liquor store patrons. Am I right? Let me know in the comments below.

Take action to bring your dreams to life. My virtual community, The Wealth Connection, is the place to find the support you need. Join Today!

The Empress’s New Clothes

Written by Barbara Huson

You probably know the tale of The Emperor’s New Clothes right?

An Emperor orders a suit of clothes that are invisible to anyone who is incompetent or stupid. The emperor can’t see the clothes, but is so afraid of being judged incompetent or stupid that he pretends to be delighted with the garments and “wears” them in a parade through town. All the onlookers pretend to see them too, until a child yells out, “He hasn’t got any clothes on!”

There’s a modern version of that tale that every woman (and man) should know.

An aging woman, dressed in rags, ambles through crowded streets, feeling invisible, like a second class citizen.

Suddenly, she hears a ruckus from where she just came. Glancing over her shoulder, she sees a little girl, pointing to her in amazement.

“That’s the Empress!” the little girl squeals repeatedly to her mother.

The mother starts to scold the girl until she realizes her daughter is telling the truth. She passed by this disheveled woman many times, but never before recognized her magnificence. A crowd gathers, whispering beneath their breath, staring at the Empress with awe and admiration.

At that moment, the woman in rags realizes she’s not a second class citizen, but a powerful woman who’s been brainwashed since birth to believe she’s inferior. Until this moment, she had been oblivious to that fact.

That’s when the Empress recognized a deeper truth. That little girl didn’t just free the Empress, but all women from the paralyzing premise of female inferiority.

The two versions represent the basic differences between men and women: For the most part, men walk through life, assuming they’re competent, everyone knows it and they feel entitled. Women assume they’re less than, everyone sees it, and we feel unworthy. While men fearlessly assert their power, we fearfully project it onto others (often men).

Here’s what we can learn from this all too-true fairy tale:

When women finally own their power and magnificence, both women and men will be liberated to be their authentic selves.

Where do you give your power away? Leave me a comment below.

If you’ve made a decision to build your Wealth in 2020, I’m here to tell you it’s easier with support. Get the support you need to stay on the Wealth-Building path in my virtual community—The Wealth Connection. Learn More.

Why You Probably Suck at Receiving

Written by Barbara Huson

In this season of giving, it’s worth stopping and giving some thought to how you receive. Here’s another blog from the archives to think about.

Consider this. There’s a direct correlation between your ability to receive and your level of financial success.

The problem, however—most of us suck at receiving.

Think about it. How often do you gloss over praise, deflect admiration, deny an achievement or respond with self-criticism?

Receiving is to your Soul what eating is to your body—a source of strength, nourishment, and growth. When you fail to receive, you’re literally starving your Soul.

But here’s where it gets tricky. Many gifts come camouflaged and are easily overlooked. To receive fully you must suspend judgment. Nothing that happens is ‘good’ or ‘bad, ’right’ or ‘wrong,’ ‘negative’ or ‘positive.’

Everything, absolutely everything, no matter how it feels, is a gift, a message, a lesson, a form of divine communication.

This, of course, is counterintuitive. It’s easy to receive a compliment from a friend, but a reprimand from your boss? That too can be a gift when you mine it for its deeper meaning.

To quote a Zen saying, the obstacle is the path. “So that like oxygen to a fire,” writes author Robert Greene, “obstacles and adversity become fuel for your potential.”

To receive fully means this: Every frustration, disappointment or even failure is, in truth, a source of guidance, support, and strength building…a gift, that if fully received, will increase your success exponentially.

I’d love to hear your experiences of how past disappointments turned out to be gifts in disguise. Share your story in the comments below.

Give yourself the gift of community this holiday season. Join my virtual community The Wealth Connection. It’s the place for women to come together to become Savvy and Confident Investors and find support every step of the way!

Learn More!

I’m in Resistance! How Do I Get Out of It?

Written by Barbara Huson

You know the feeling. You finally decide to take the financial reins. You’ll pay off your debt, save for emergencies, invest regularly for retirement.

Off you go—to take a financial class, talk to an advisor, buy a money book—when suddenly, you run smack dab into Resistance.

Resistance is the psychological term for, “I don’t want to do this!”

You cancel the appointment, lose interest in the book, sit through the class, but nothing sinks in. You figure money’s not your thing. Eventually, you quit trying.

Resistance, more than anything else, is what stops women from taking the financial reins. But it doesn’t need to derail you, at least not for long.

You need to understand that resistance is normal. It’s a signal that you’re changing, not that something is wrong.

Find a friend, a colleague or financial professional to hold you accountable. Whatever it is you don’t want to do, that is exactly what you need to do next.

Dig deeper to find what lies on the other side of Resistance.

It’s your Power.

And that’s really what scares us. Not managing our money, but owning our power.

Which is why I created The Wealth Connection, an online community of women supporting women ready to claim their power. I invite you to check it out here.

I’d love to hear what you’ve done to overcome your resistance. Leave me a comment below.

Get the support you need to create the Wealth you desire in my virtual community of women supporting women, The Wealth Connection. Now only $47/month! Join the conversation today!

Women & Power

Losing Sleep Over Sinking Markets? Advice from a Wall Street Expert…and a Veteran of 2 Major Crashes—Me!

A Spiritual Solution for Scary Times*

The Only (True) Antidote for Fear

Pruning vs Pushing

Financial Challenges are Your Friend

Are You an Underearner? Part 2

The Lesson at the Liquor Store

The Empress’s New Clothes

Why You Probably Suck at Receiving

I’m in Resistance! How Do I Get Out of It?

Meet Barbara Huson

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