Living a Life of Prosperity: Inside and Out

 Living a Life of Prosperity: Inside and Out

What is prosperity? According to Webster’s dictionary prosperity is the condition of being successful or thriving; or economic well-being¹.

Shakti Gawain, author of Creating True Prosperity describes prosperity as the “experience of having plenty of what we truly need and want in life, material and otherwise.” According to Ellen Peterson, author of Choosing Joy, Creating Abundance “prosperity is not what you have or how much you make; it’s actually how you think.” While Maria Nemeth, author of The Energy of Money says “Prosperity comes when you participate fully² in every aspect of your life. It’s state of growth.”

Many people define prosperity as their career or position at work, education or degrees they’ve earned, where they live, cars they drive, schools their children attend, vacations they take, and even clothes and accessories they wear.

My definition of prosperity “living the life I love without worrying about financial constraints³ and having a happiness in my heart and spirit.” My life of prosperity began in August 2002 when I took early retirement⁴ from my public relations job with Social Security Administration.

 But, I almost missed my opportunity because I wasn’t taking the time to get quiet and I wasn’t listening to my whispers. In June 2003 I attended Oprah’s Live Your Best Life Tour. Oprah says, Life speaks to you. First in whispers—your intuition. If you’re not paying attendion it’s gets a little louder, a tap on your shoulder. If you’re still not paying attention to get hit in the head with a brick. Still ignoring life speaking to you, a brick walls fall on you. And it you’re still not paying attention or listening, the earthquake hits.

It took an earthquake to make me listen. I wasn’t satisfied or happy with my job. It no longer felt like a career, it was just a way to make a living. It was the very best job I’d ever had, but like everything else in life, it changed. For almost a year I went to work unsatisfied and in search of something—something to satisfy me or make me happy. The problem? I wasn’t listening to my whispers. Not until March 2002 when I had what I call “my meltdown,” did I finally stop to listen. I took three weeks off from work and spent quiet time at home. It was amazing how quickly I heard my whispers once I took the time to spend by myself and get quiet. I read a quote that spoke⁵ to me and changed my life, “Our purpose in life is to find our gift, perfect it and give it back to others.” It was my Aha moment.

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And yet several days later I wrote in my journal, “I am already wavering on my thoughts of taking early retirement and reaching out to women. I‘m sure it’s fear of the unknown and risking my secure retirement. It’s a terrible place to dwell—fear. I hope I can come to grips with it and move on, if that’s what I am supposed to do.” But, I followed Eleanor Roosevelt’s advice “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” I retired⁶ from my job in August 2002 and founded Money Wi$e Women. And, I’ve been living a life of prosperity ever since.

 Prosperity is created by setting intentions. Intentions create thoughts. Thoughts create choices. Choice creates different outcome or action. Are you ready to live a life of prosperity? Start by taking time to being quiet and listening to yourself. Most women have trouble with getting quiet because we’re multi-taskers and busy taking care of everyone but ourselves. But, it’s crucial to carve some quiet time for yourself. I’m not good about journaling, but I’ve discovered that walking my dogs daily and listening to music on my iPod gets my creative juices flowing. When I have a little more time I read an inspirational or motivational book or I spend time rubber stamping. You need to discover what works for you. Since we’re approaching the holiday season, ask your family for the “gift of time.” Get creative with your request, maybe it’s a day by yourself once a month or a weekend away once every six-months. Whatever works for you.

Think about what your intentions are and take time to learn more about yourself and get to know yourself better. Spend time excavating⁷ your inner thoughts and writing them down—what makes you happy and what lights your fire. Working with a life coach has made a huge difference in my life. My coach has helped me determine what lights my fire and help me to purposely stay focused on my goals.

Know that life isn’t happening without you. You’re in the driver’s seat, you’re in charge! You are responsible for your choices. Align⁸ your life with what’s important to you and you’ll be on the road to living a life of prosperity.

1 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

2 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

3 constraints   

强制( constraint的名词复数 )； 限制； 约束

参考例句：

• Data and constraints can easily be changed to test theories. 信息库中的数据和限制条件可以轻易地改变以检验假设。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
• What are the constraints that each of these imply for any design? 这每种产品的要求和约束对于设计意味着什么？ 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

4 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

7 excavating   

v.挖掘( excavate的现在分词 )；开凿；挖出；发掘

参考例句：

• A bulldozer was employed for excavating the foundations of the building. 推土机用来给楼房挖地基。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A new Danish expedition is again excavating the site in annual summer digs. 一支新的丹麦探险队又在那个遗址上进行一年一度的夏季挖掘。 来自辞典例句

8 align   

vt.使成一线，结盟，调节；vi.成一线，结盟

参考例句：

• Align the ruler and the middle of the paper.使尺子与纸张的中部成一条直线。
• There are signs that the prime minister is aligning himself with the liberals.有迹象表明首相正在与自由党人结盟。