Oh boy.  This is UP for people.  I’m a coach.  I coach lots of people.  Most folks sign up for a coaching session with me not for Ayurveda, nutrition, meditation, yoga, disease, etc but simply because they are unhappy and want spiritual counseling.  It’s interesting because when you work with me I have to get to the root cause of your suffering and that means that I must address all of the above and more to get you to the meet and greet with God.

One of the biggest most prevalent and least talked about root causes of suffering and spiritual disconnect is money.  Of course, no one in America talks about it directly.  I mean, it’s not “polite.”  In fact, when I teach The Elemental Cleanse, if I went around the room (and I don’t) and asked the question of who is financially suffering, every hand would go up (if it was actually okay to be vulnerable on the money front).

Lately, it’s been insane.  Waves of folks are suffering from an overwhelming feeling of lack, an intense pressure to make more money, and a feeling of insecurity for the future.  It goes straight to the heart of safety and security and until this issue is fixed, the mind cannot let go of it and of course your spiritual flow is blocked.  It becomes a catch 22 of blocking that which can actually help you out of your debt and even into more financial flow.

This is what I do with my clients to facilitate a shift in their consciousness of money and some really REAL and sound things to get you on track.

1.  GET REAL.  We live in a world of comparisons.  It is bred into our consciousness beginning at a very young age by the media that you must have this or that to be happy.  There is an expectation imbedded in you that you will have a nice home, nice car, nice family, good education, nice furniture, nice clothes, and nice vacation.  You think that everyone else is living that way because you see it on TV and because we are all lying to each other about our lives due to the inability to be vulnerable around money.  Here are the facts and I’m not telling them to you to make you feel guilty, or grateful for what you do have, or anything ineffective like feelings.  Cold hard facts.  Memorize them and put them in your reality data bank.

  • 1 in 6 Americans or 45.6 million folks live in poverty.  That’s $23,050 for a family of four.
  • 1 in 6 Americans experience daily hunger.  1 in 5 children in America experience daily hunger.
  • Home Foreclosures fell to a record recent low in March of only 5 million that month (bloomberg’s).
  • 75 million American’s own homes. 4 million are upside down.
  • Credit Cards didn’t exist before 1958.  Now, 39% of Americans carry a credit card debt and the average is $4,878 
  • Do I even need to talk about the other 99%?   Watch the video at the bottom of this blog.  WHAT YOU THINK IS WRONG.  $54 trillion is the wealth of America (2009) 1 % of Americans hold 40% of the wealth.  That’s 3.5 million folks who hold $21.6 trillion dollars.  That leaves $32.4 trillion to distribute to another 310 million folks.  The average earning potential for the other 99% is only $103,226, but keep in mind those 45.6 million above in poverty. 
  • 41% of kids age 18 – 24 go to college, or about 21 million.  That means 59% don’t.
  • 75% of Americans don’t have enough savings to pay their bills for 6 months.  If you are 35 – 44 you’ve only have $1,200 saved. 45 – 54’s have about $10,000.  over that is around $12,000.  That means only 25% do.
  • SHOCKING…..The average American per capita wage is only $26,000.

2.  It’s time for the elevator check.  Get in an elevator.  Once it’s all full, do a full circle and check out every single person in it.  Guess what?  Unless you are riding the elevator with the CEO of an insurance company, a bank, or any company that has a name on the side of one of those big buildings down town, the people next you are probably mostly broke or just getting by.  If they tell you different, they are lying or are one of the very very few who are financially responsible if it is indeed even possible to ever have enough nowadays to retire at a decent age.

What this means is you are trying to keep up with a bunch of folks who can’t keep up themselves.  The designer bag, the trip to Disney, the plasma TV.  You are contributing to the 1% and harming yourself when you buy stuff you can’t afford.

3.  Let’s fix this.  Download the following pdf to make a budget and get out of debt.  Lots of good advice for saving daily cash flow.

make a budget

4.  Finally, look for the helpers.  I learned this from Mr. Rodgers.  Whenever you are in an overwhelming and terrible situation, look for who is helping out.  When you are at a restaurant, start to notice the number of folks sharing a meal.  When you are at the mall to kill boredom, notice all the folks without bags.  When your spouse is upset about overspending and not saving, know that they are right and you are wrong.  When your friend consistently says they are on a budget and wouldn’t it be nice to simply get together for a cup of tea instead of shopping or dinner, be grateful.  When your banker offers you a sit down to discuss your financial future, take it.

Plan for the new year now.  Make good choices for your family’s future.  Om, Pamela

*The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about the tradition of ayurveda, yoga, and meditation. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of any disease. If you have any serious acute or chronic health concern, please consult a trained health professional who can fully assess your needs and address them effectively. Check with your doctor before taking herbs or using essential oils when pregnant or nursing.