Post-Recession Prosperity

Many people have been living a kind of “faux prosperity” lifestyle. From the outside looking in, it appears they are doing well. They live in large, beautifully decorated homes, drive new cars and have all of the latest gadgets and toys. However, if you take a closer look, you will see their paycheck-to-paycheck life is not sustainable. With mounting debt and little to no savings to fall back on, any challenge such as a job loss will bring things crashing down rather quickly. This has been realized in the recent uprising of home foreclosures and personal bankruptcies. Too many people were financially unprepared for the current down trend in the economy.

The recession is not only causing a wake-up-call for people who have been living this “faux prosperity,” it also brings a golden opportunity for them to change the way they perceive and practice prosperous living. They have had to shift their thinking about what prosperity really means and come up with a new way to define abundance. A new definition is beginning to emerge as they place their focus on quality of life, instead of quantity of goods.

We all have something to learn from this uncomfortable change. Many of us have placed too much emphasis on consuming and not enough on saving. It is time to rethink the way we have used our money and return to the spiritual principles that guarantee a prosperous life.

Unfortunately, many people have responded to the current recession in a fearful, reactive way. Now the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction. Their knee-jerk, human reaction is to hoard money and give less. From a strictly human perspective, this appears to make sense. However in a universe governed by a spiritual principle that says, “you can only receive what you are first willing to give,” this strategy is a catastrophe. All it does is block the flow of future good and guarantee a life of lack and limitation. Now is not the time to react in fear. It is the time to be proactively involved in creating a more prosperous life.

If you have been living the “faux prosperity” lifestyle some basic restructuring may be necessary to regain your financial strength. This may be the time to revisit the spiritual law of tithing and start investing in yourself again by saving another ten percent. By practicing the “give some, save some, spend some” model you realign yourself with the fundamental laws of prosperity. Giving ten percent off of the top engages the Law of Circulation and begins the flow back to you. Saving the next ten percent of your income guarantees there will always be resources to fall back on. And then spending the leftover eighty percent with the wisdom to live within your means is an exercise in integrity and honor. By using your money in this faithful manner (Give 10%, Save 10%, Spend 80%), you guarantee a constant in-flow of good.

Being a good steward of your financial resources is just the first step in living a prosperous life. The second step is to take a heartfelt look at your sense of value and self-worth. The primary dictate for income is consciousness. In other words, your sense of self-value is what attracts good into your life. Therefore it is of primary importance for you to remember that the Source of your value is God in you. It isn’t determined by your accomplishments or successes. You have value because of the Life that resides within you. Remembering this will keep your self-esteem intact and ensure the uninterrupted flow of good into your life.

If you want to live a more prosperous life, now is the time to surround yourself with faithful people. Attend classes, workshops and events that reinforce an affirmative attitude toward life. Read books that inspire you. Find things that ignite your passion and engage your creativity. Don’t let yourself spiral downward into fear. Keep your consciousness afloat by making choices that uplift your spirit.

The most challenging days are behind us now. It’s time to move forward into more prosperous living. Armed with great wisdom and faithful practices, we are now more prepared than ever to live well. By redefining prosperity as a quality of life experience, not a quantity of goods lifestyle, we realign ourselves with the truth that sets us free of limitation and lack. With a greater understanding of our value, we are poised to accept an even greater good than we had before. Now the post-recession prosperity will no longer be a “faux prosperity.” It will be permanent and lasting because it is based on sound principles and faithful practice. And more importantly than that, it recognizes God as the Source of our good, not the limited economic condition.