5 Reasons High-Income Earners Struggle Financially And How You Can Change That

Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to do without and be in need. …But when he [finally] came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough food, while I am dying here of hunger!  I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. – Luke 15: 14, 17-18 (Read Luke 15: 11-32)

Does that sound familiar to you; “I make good money; I am just not good at managing it.”?

You have a lot going for you. You’re a child of God and you’re confident in that. You have a great career and/or you run a successful profitable business. You can’t deny that you’re a high-income earner. But there’s a problem: you’re often not sure where your money is going or you never seem to have enough of it. You know there is a deeper issue for not managing your money well.

You know making more money isn’t the answer you need to be financially successful or to reach your life goals. Rather, you know you need to get a grip on your money. You need to start mastering your money from inside-out. That is key to your financial and life success.

Becoming and staying wealthy is not a matter of how much money you’re making but what you do with it that makes the difference. Wealth isn’t defined by that big pay you receive or that high level of business revenue you gain but by how much you save, invest and I dear say, what you give too!

 

The High-Income Earner’s Conundrum

The conundrum you face in relation to money is that more you have of it, the more you think you need to do something with it. Unfortunately, that ‘something’ most often is not beneficial to your wellbeing – financially or otherwise. And sadly you find yourself in a financial bind and in need of help.

There are few reasons why as high-income earners you struggle financially:

  1. Lifestyle Inflation – Often times the more money you earn the more you think you need to spend on expensive homes, luxury cars, whatever is trending or on you’ve always dreamed of having. This kind of spending is often disproportionate to your income level and will often lead to less wealth.
  2. Living to Impress Others – Society has convinced you that you have to live the part. If you are a high-income earner, you have to show it. Unfortunately, even without realizing it, we have bought into that way of thinking and begin to live it out. When your income increases, your auto-response is to spend more and to impress family, friends and foes with your new found wealth.
  3. Over spending – Not only do you spend more as your income increases but you end up spending more than you earn. To make up for shortfalls, you max out credit cards and end up with more debt than you can manage. Why? You thought you could afford the upgraded lifestyle but didn’t count the cost of the new lifestyle.
  4. No Money Plan –  The more you earn, the more you think you don’t need to plan. Often high-income earners don’t have a money plan or even a simple cash flow system. When it comes to money, they often make poor financial (and life-impacting) decisions. They often unprepared to deal with changes in the lifestyle and unprepared for changes in their future earnings or if faced with an emergency.
  5. Live for the Moment – One thing that consistent high-income earners face is that they live for the moment. And even when faced with financial challenges, they will often think “Oh, I will make it up next time.” They are often thinking that the next deal, the next sale, the next client will bring in enough to cover any shortfall they have. The challenge with this is that they are often living at high-stressed levels – and that is not good for their well-being (emotional, mental or physical health).

Does any of this resonate with you? Even if you don’t consider yourself a high-income, I am sure some of this may speak to you.

 

How Do You Fix This?

I am sure you’re wondering: “How do I overcome this high-income earner conundrum Pam?” Don’t’ worry. Here are a few money mastery tips you can act on right now to help you. Though they may seem simple or even obvious they work!

Go on a spending fast for 30 days. – Plan ahead and purchase what you need in advance for the month. If you need some thing during that 30-day period, buy the bare minimum. HOWEVER, if you don’t need it, don’t buy it. Stay away from the shopping mall. Unsubscribe from the mailing lists of your favorite online retailers. Eat at home. Take lunch and snacks to work or wherever you go during the day. I am sure you’ll have extra in your account that you can save.

Save the pennies 😊! – I know you have heard it often enough that your eyes may be rolling when you read this – SAVE your money! Consistently set aside money for your benefit. Give a positive assignment to what you save and/or invest. Save for your Freedom Fund (or what is known as an Emergency Fund). I call it a Freedom Fund because having that money set aside when life happens, frees you from the stress of not having any!

Come to your senses – Ah yes, you have to make a decision that you don’t want this lifestyle anymore where you are spending more than you earn, buying things you don’t need or really want and that don’t satisfy you but rather add more burden to your life. Don’t wait to hit rock bottom like the prodigal son, before you come to your senses. Now is the time to make a change for the better.

Take action – The prodigal son took the decision to ask his father for forgiveness. You to may need to do that too. But along with that, he was willing to make other changes i.e. to go back to his father house and work as a servant if that is what it would take to feed himself! Fortunately for him, the father received him and honored him as a son. Your action to get yourself out of financial challenges will involve some effort too – you will need to make some adjustments to the way you manage your money. But you don’t have to do it alone …

If you want to learn how, I can share with you the exact 12-step process I use to help my clients flourish financially rather than struggle financially.

If you would rather see your wealth increase rather than deplete or if you rather have more than enough than not enough; book a call with me to learn more!

Wishing you success in breaking free from the high-income earner conundrum!

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Health Is Wealth BUT Wealth Is Health Too!

3 John 1:2 AMP – Beloved, I pray that in every way you may succeed and prosper and be in good health [physically], just as [I know] your soul prospers [spiritually].

Exodus 15:26 – “… For I am the Lord who heals you.”

I don’t know about you but for me being sick is not fun!

Recently I had to take some time off (about a month) to nurse and recover from being ill. Sickness is often unplanned, unexpected, undesired and totally unfriendly to your finances! It takes the luster out of life when you’re ill. You can’t work or if you can you don’t function at your best. Your finances are impacted either because you have to go to the doctor or hospital. And if you are not able to work at all; you lose your main income stream and the level of your wealth decreases. When you recover from ill-health, you also have to begin the work of recovering – physically, mentally, emotionally and financially.

 

When you have good health, you have good wealth

I consider good health as wealth because when you are healthy:

  • You are happier when you are healthy or healthier
  • You are productive and when you are productive you can create wealth
  • You get to make solid, clear decisions about your life and your finances
  • You are more grateful when you are healthy. Personally, I find sickness makes you more aware of the wealth i.e. the goodness of good health. Whenever I am ill and I recover, I find that I am even more appreciative to God for the blessing of good health and for healing me and for giving me back my health!

 

When you have wealth, you can have good health

You may be asking what does money have to do with good health. But look at it this way – when you have wealth or more than enough for the basics, you have the ability to maintain a good, healthy life.

  • You can eat the right kinds of foods that promote good health
  • You can invest in being active and getting support to stay physically fit
  • You can get the most appropriate, needed and proactive medical care
  • You stress less about your finances and feel more at ease which mean you’re less likely to have stress-related illnesses

So consider this, how wealthy are you? how healthy are you? The two go hand in hand. Health impacts wealth and wealth impact health.

A friend recently said this to me; “If something happened to me, I don’t have enough money to even cover the initial medical care. I know I should have money set aside for those unpleasant aspects of life but I just been too busy and my finances are all over the place!”

How about you? Key to your good health and that of your loved ones is being sure that you enough to take care of them – daily and when medical issues arise. Right now, can you say that you are well positioned financially for such any unexpected, unplanned and undesired aspects of life (such as sickness, or accident). I am not just talking about having an “emergency fund” (or what I call a Freedom Fund because it free you from the stress of not having enough when an emergency happens). But it is also about having wealth – more than enough – to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Whether we like it or not it takes money to obtain or do the things necessary to live and live healthy too.

The Lord desires you to have a great relationship with you but at the same time He wants you to be healthy and wealthy too (3 John 1:2, Psalm 35:27). Are you living a healthy and wealthy life? Do you need help building up your wealth, getting debt-free and living financially stress-free so that you can be in good health? Then book a free call with me now to learn the steps to a wealthy, healthy life! I can wait to hear from you 😊.

 

About the Author:
Hi, I am Pamela, a Money Mastery Coach and Encourager to Christian Professional Women. I am creator of the Master Your Money Coaching Program and I empower Christian professional women, 30s and up, who feel overwhelmed and stressed around money to masterly achieve their money goals. I work with my clients towards being stress free by getting debt free, earning more, investing more, and giving more using biblical principles and easy-systems.

I have over 20 years of experience in the financial service industry and love studying, writing and teaching biblical wealth management principles. I can help you shift from inaction to faith-filled action and create an easy money system so you can master your money and achieve your goals. Let’s Talk!

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Hope for the Big Spender

“When he finally came to his senses… I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”

– Luke 15:17-19

Money answers all things. It is the currency by which this world operates. We cannot live on this earth without earning money and spending it on what we need. Both steps are required to function properly in this world. My concern is for those big spenders who go over and above what they need or can afford. To some it may seem fine, but deep inside we know it will lead to disaster. But there is hope for the big spender, and the Word of may offers more help than we realize.

Too Much, Too Soon

In the familiar story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32), we can see similarities between people living today and people living during Bible times. At the beginning of this story, the younger son of the wealthy man appears as the eager beaver who can’t wait to get his hands on his father’s money.

Are we eager to have money? Are we always looking for ways to get more and then spend it? Christians often fail in their walk with God because they are focused more on material things or money than on relating to their heavenly Father and becoming more like Christ. Most seek the blessing rather than the One who blesses. No doubt we serve a heavenly Father who is willing to bless us with all things pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1: 3-4). Unfortunately, far too often we cry to Him, “Father, give me this and give me that. Lord, I need a financial blessing,” rather than seeking to know Him and making Him known.

In all fairness, this young man asked for what was rightfully his, but his request was premature. Rather than focusing on spending time with his father, his emphasis was on getting his inheritance and deciding what he would do with it. He couldn’t wait for his father to die; he wanted his money now. Like this young man, Christians get impatient waiting and press God for their financial blessings. In His permissive will, God allows us to receive a blessing, just like this young man’s father, knowing fully well that the child is incapable of managing the responsibility financial blessing entails.

Can you identify with this? Have you ever asked God to bless your finances or give you something you thought you really needed, only to realize after receiving it that you were unprepared to handle it? That is what I call ‘asking prematurely.’ Instead, when you ask for a blessing, you should also ask God to prepare you to handle it when it comes. You should be certain your heart motive is right and that God can trust you with the blessing He gives to you.

One thing is certain—God wants to bless us. However, we do not glorify God if He blesses us and, due to a lack of character, integrity, or money skills, we quickly lose the blessing. For example, why should God promote us to a higher position in an organization, only to be fired shortly afterwards because we couldn’t effectively communicate with our colleagues? What glory is there to God if we should come into an inheritance or be given a substantial financial blessing and lose it all within weeks with no way to give account for it?

Have you ever looked back and said to yourself, Oh, I sure wish I had done that differently? Maybe as you look back now, you wish you hadn’t spent your money so wildly, especially those large amounts. Maybe you wish you hadn’t sold that property so quickly. Maybe you wish you could go back a few years earlier and start afresh. You would love to erase those bad financial decisions you made along the way. Whatever it is, you realize it was too much too soon, and you failed to consult God about what to do. However, there is hope.

Come to Your Senses

What do you spend your money on? Do you spend your money on more clothes, shoes, electronic gadgets, dinners out with friends, another family event, or anything you see on sale? Are you spending your money on what doesn’t satisfy (Isa. 55:2)? Are you happy when you have spent all or sometimes more than what you have earned? You should take care that after all the extravagant living you don’t end up like this young man.

After he wasted his inheritance, hard times came, and the economy fell. Sound familiar, doesn’t it? Maybe you can identify with this guy. Excessive spending and high consumer debt, along with world financial market turmoil, have left many in want. Without houses, cars, jobs, and savings, many face great uncertainty about the future. His reckless living resulted in his being worse off than the servants in his father’s house. While those servants had a roof over their heads, a bed to sleep in, and good food to eat, he lived with pigs and ate pig food! How low can you get? Perhaps you’ve hit rock bottom and will do anything to survive or make ends meet. For some, that means getting into more debt or another credit card, but that just adds to their problem.

Take a page from this young man’s story and consider how it applies to you. You need to recognize what you have done and be willing to change direction. Being a big spender may have put you in a difficult financial position with too many bills to pay, creditors calling you constantly, and insufficient money to cover your daily living expenses. But hope remains.
This young man recognized that being in his father’s house as a servant was far better than living in his current position. At least he would have shelter and food. He was willing to return, as shameful as it would have felt, to seek his father’s forgiveness. He was willing to go to his father, admit his faults, and ask to be restored.

What about you? Do you realize that being in the Father’s house and eating His bread as His servant is much better than eating pig food? In other words, do you realize that when you live in God’s house and serve Him, eat His word, and align your life to His will, you will no longer struggle through life? You will find that His Word prepares you for every aspect of life, lifts you up, and restores you, including your finances. In His house His Word satisfies; there you will find help to eliminate the habit of overspending. You need to realign your life, including the habit of excessive spending, to His will. Are you ready to acknowledge your sin and return to the Father? If you confess to the Father that you are a spendthrift and have act unwisely and ask for His forgiveness, He will certainly forgive you and also help you to live victoriously above that sin of overspending (1 John 1:9).

Right now, pause and take a moment to go to the Father and ask for His forgiveness (Luke 15:18), just like this young man did. The Father is waiting with open arms for you to return and surrender this area of your life to Him. He will receive you, celebrate with you, and give you the ability to overcome the habit of overspending. Give it all to Jesus; He is able to help you.
Be assured that the Father has forgiven you. The beauty of this story is found in the father’s response to the return of his lost son. He celebrated his return. His return signified the son’s acknowledgment of his faults, his helplessness, and the need for his father’s forgiveness. His father’s response with open arms, the celebration with the killing of the fatted calf, and the giving of the signet ring, robe and sandals, signifies restoration. He wanted his son to know that he was forgiven and accepted as his son once again. This forgiveness symbolizes the love God has for you and me. Whenever you fall, you can come back to the Father. God will completely restore your life, including your finances.

The above is an excerpt from Financial Empowerment: Realign Your Finances to God’s Will by Pamela Carmichael. You can obtain a copy from Amazon.com

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5 Ways Money Influences Your Life

Look Deep Into the Heart of Money Matters

For money to be a valuable resource, you must master it, see its usefulness and use it effectively.      — Pamela Carmichael, Financial Empowerment

Money is personal. Not only does it affect your bank account but it affects your emotions, your outlook on life and how you perceive others including your loved ones. Think about this: If you were to inherit a large sum of money, how would you feel? I am sure you would be elated and not to mention relieved because you have some extra that you can use to do some good, like pay off debts, purchase a house or even take the family on a long desired vacation. On the other hand,   if you were to incur a big expense or lose big on your investments, how would you feel? Yes, the feeling anyone would have is worry or stress over how you can deal with that kind of financial setback.

Admittedly, we all experience highs and lows in our emotions based on how things are going financially. Sadly, most of us are stressed because of constant money woes. Financial challenges are known to be the cause of stress-related illnesses due to lack of self-care or much-needed health care, failed marriages, stressed children in families facing financial struggles, poor job productivity, and more.

Identify Your Mone’motions

In this section, you will identify money-related emotions (Mone’motions) that impact how your manage money as well as your wellbeing—spiritual, emotional, mental and physical.

The world places much emphasis on money. The fact is, you cannot do much without the currency. Therefore, you need to be aware of its impact on your emotions—your Mone’motions. Ask yourself the following questions to determine areas of concern in your financial life and where money may be controlling you in some way. Be true to yourself and give honest responses. The more you learn about your mone’motions the better you can master money rather than money control you.

  1. How do you feel when you have to pay the bills?
  2. What kind of reaction do you have when there isn’t enough to cover an unexpected expense?
  3. When there isn’t enough money to make it through the month what do you do (e.g. worry constantly, stay awake at night, pray for wisdom on how to manage, etc.)?
  4. Do you identify with this statement: “Money makes my brain hurt!” What is your interpretation of this statement?
  5. How often do your review your finances? How does having to do this make you feel about your money?

Excellent! Good work in completing that exercise. Now, let us see how these mone’motions have been identified in the Bible and how you can overcome them.

Mone’motions Identified In the Word of God

“What’s your love-affair with money?” This question conjures up at least two reactions: one of curiosity and another of disgust because of course the first reaction is that no one should love money. Even the Bible highlights that individuals can have an emotional connection to money. The unfortunate reality is that money can be such a strong force that we often form a love-hate relationship with it. Your response to money can either be negative or positive.

NEGATIVE RESPONSE TO MONEY POSITIVE RESPONSE TO MONEY
Love Hate
Loyal Despise
Worry Peaceful
Greedy Generous
Unwise Smart

Review these scriptures and indicate the emotional responses to money in each of them.

  • No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.
  • You cannot serve God and mammon. — Luke 16:13 (also Matt. 6:24)
  • Jesus’ word of encouragement to avoid negative emotions – Matthew 6: 25-34
  • And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him. — 1 Sam. 22:2
  • Elisha vs. Gehazi’s response to the gift offered
  • –2 Kings 5:15-27
  • The Parable of the Lost Son – Luke 15:11-32
  • The Parable of the Rich Fool – Luke 12:13-21
  • Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler – Matthew 19:16-30 (also Mark 10:17-31, Luke
  • 18:18-29)
  • There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. – Acts 10:1-2
  • The Parable of the Unjust Servant – Luke 16:1-12

Your Life & Money Connection

Life happens. That is a phrase we often hear and yes, it is true. In the life happening, money also happens. Either money is something you avoid talking about and don’t like to deal with or money is managed by you effectively or you have a neither-here-nor-there attitude about it. Whatever the response, money happens in the midst of life.

Unfortunately, any negative attitude or emotion to money leads to bad money management that results in negative returns: excessive spending and borrowing. This creates a spiraling effect that brings on more negative feelings about money. You freeze instead of dealing with money matters, hoard excessively, fear losing money or being in want, think limitedly about your ability to earn a greater level of income and so on.

However, you need to combat those negative mon’emotions so you can be free to effectively manage your money. In the previous exercise you looked at mon’emotions identified in the Bible. In this section, you will examine your life journey to see where you may have developed any negative emotions towards money.

Your money story: unpleasant Events

What past experiences have left the proverbial bad taste in your mouth or have hindered you from managing effectively and making timely money decisions? For example, as a child did your family have money struggles or did you make a mistake that cost you a great deal financially and maybe even relationally?

Your Money Influencers

What did you learn from your parents or teachers either directly or indirectly that has a negative impact on your view and management of money today? For example, “Money doesn’t grow on trees” was a statement often said to children to deter them from asking for anything too pricey or out of frustration when money was limited.

What money practice or money perspective do you have now that is a result of your upbringing?

Your Perception Of People And Yourself

We can often make judgments about people without really knowing them. Your preconceived ideas of how someone else makes or manages money (compared to you) is a reflection of your relationship with money. Right now in your life, who do you think has more money than you or seems to be getting ahead faster than you (e.g. co-workers, neighbours, your close friend)? What makes you think of people in that way?

Sometimes you might even have a low view of yourself. For example, you might quickly accept a low salary for a new job and not ask for the amount the position requires. Or as a business owner you might find yourself bidding low on a contract hoping that you would win it. Do you ever think you can earn more than you currently do? How do you feel when thinking like this?

Your Lifestyle: Current And Future

Life goals, lifestyle choice, current income and your perceived or projected income and expense levels influence how you manage your resources. What other influences in your life have impacted how you manage your money? For example, consider how your co-workers, your neighbours, family members and friends have influenced you financially.

Along with the immediate influences, there are others to consider. What has the impact of the internet, social media and advertising from various forms such as magazines, radio, and television been on your view of money and how you use money?

The above is an excerpt from The Financial Empowerment Workbook: A Biblical & Systematic Guide to Manage & Restore Your Finances. Get a paperback copy from Amazon or an electronic version (pdf) from Gumroad.

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Managing Money is a Matter of Faith: 4 Keys to Thrive Financially

Review your finances“It is not how much you have but what you do with it that matters. If you consistently take positive action with the money you have, it will increase. Managing money is a matter of faith. It’s not only about being practical.” –Pamela Carmichael

When you manage your finances, you are putting your faith to work. You are acting out of the belief that what you are doing will bring increase and be in your best interest. However the opposite is true, archetypally those who don’t manage their finances are either afraid that they will do the wrong thing, they just don’t want to have the responsibility or they lack the knowledge and understanding of how money works.

The Parable of the Talents Jesus spoke to illustrate what the kingdom of Heaven is like is filled with principles of sound money management. It shows what God expects us to do with the money and other resources he has entrusted to us. From this we can learn a few things about money and faith:

What TO DO to Manage Your Money Well

Take Action and Consistent Action

Whatever you have now, is what God knows you have the ability to manage (Matt. 25:15). No matter how little or how much you have make good use of it. If you are not sure how to manage the money you have, the least you should do is start saving. Then take some time to learn about money and as you gain knowledge and seek God for direction, do business with that money.

Immediate action is necessary because as is often said and is true, procrastination is the thief of time and (I will add) of income or financial increase. There is, right now in the world, no such thing as a good time. Now is the time to act. When you don’t take action or delay working on your finances, you get lazy, comfortable and come up with all sorts of excuses why not to do anything. This often leads to the unexpected and undesired loss of your money! So manage it and start now.

But don’t just start and then stop. Managing your personal finances is an ongoing work. You have to keep at it. You have to review what you’ve done, determine if your actions have been profitable or unprofitable and where necessary make adjustments. Reviewing helps you to learn what works and what doesn’t so that as you make adjustments you are improving your possibilities of financial success!

Use What You Have Even If Uncertain Of the Outcome

Managing money is a faith walk. Why? Because as your work, you have no guarantee that what you are doing will be profitable. You don’t have a definitive forecast that your money will increase because of specific actions you may take. One investment or the other may or may not be profitable. This is well said in Eccl. 11: 6 (NLT) “Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.”

Managing money is a matter of faith. Why? If you trust God and seek or ask him for wisdom he will give it to you (James 1:5). However, the Lord’s way of managing doesn’t always fit into the normal way of doing business or managing money. His instructions will put you to the test! You won’t know if what you are doing will work but because the Lord is your guide when you will act on it, He will help you manage well and receive increase.

Think of it, who would have taught that fishing in the day and near the shore would yield such an increase but as Peter obey, he caught more fish than he could handle (Luke 5: 1-11)! And then again, the need for taxes arise and Jesus tells Peter that the first fish he catches is going to give him what he needs to pay the bill (Matthew 17: 27).

What NOT to do to Manage Your Money Well

Don’t be irresponsible

Too often in the body of Christ, we drop the ball in the money game. We either plan but don’t act or we fail on both ends to plan and to take action. Sadly, many of us don’t manage our money and then when life’s troubles come and we have no clue what to do, we cry out to God for help. Please, in love I say this, but we need to stop looking for bail out plans from God.
God is indeed a wonderful Father and Provider and He will provide your need when you don’t see a way out. A testimony of his faithfulness to his children – he has done so for me at times when I had no other help. BUT I have had to learn and develop good and sound financial management skills. I have recognized that he wants me (and you too) to manage well what he has given us and to use it the bring honor to him.

Please, don’t expect that if you mismanage your resources that He will be pleased about it. Yes, He is a loving Father and as He sees your need He will help you but he expects more from you. He wants you to be a productive and creative manager of the money and other resources he has given you so that you will grow – not only financially but in other areas of your life.

God is not pleased with those who don’t even make the effort to manage well. Look at the word of God, the master was angry with the one who did nothing with the money he was given. So angry that he ordered it be taken away from him and given to the one who obviously had managed his well, made a good return and was given a bonus for his work! God is looking for those who are able (and He knows are), and who are action takers. Will you take action with what you have been given?

Don’t let the fear stop you from acting

No matter where you live or what you do, there is uncertainty in the world. Today the stock markets are up, tomorrow they are down; frankly is a yo-yo season each day. Gone are the days of decent interest rates on savings or money market accounts. We are in an era where we have to be creative about how to make our money grow. Nothing is guaranteed but that does not mean you should clam up and do nothing. The benefit or the advantage of you as a Christian is that you have the Lord’s spirit to guide you – you have the Holy Spirit advantage and if you take His lead you will succeed.

Worrying or having fear that you will lose money will likely lead to you losing it! If you don’t act on what you have, the little you have will likely be taken from you in ways you don’t even expect.

Connected to your fear that your will lose money is likely a skewed view of those who are rich. Often times our preconceived ideas of what the rich do or don’t do and how they acquire their wealth hinders our own financial progress. Why? Because we are caught up with judging others even though we don’t know their story. We make generalizations about those who have wealth without knowing them. Instead, we should try to learn from those who excel in money matters and implement the good practices that will yield good results for us.

Benefits of good money management

I know that what I have wrote may be tough to read or accept, but out of love I have shared this. When you manage your money well, you will gain tremendously more than money. I want you to keep these in mind as you take steps to take better care of your finances:

1. God is pleased with you when He looks at how well you manage the money He has given you. God shows his pleasure not only by rejoicing and celebrating with us but by giving us more – prosperity and responsibility.

2. You’ll have less stress. Your well-being – mental, emotional and physical – will be improved. When you manage your money, you understand the intricacies of it – you know what you have and what you don’t, you also know what is coming up – ins and outs. This eliminates wondering and stressing and keeps you in a more restful state. Even when challenging times or unexpected events occur that have a negative impact on your money, you exude confidence not in yourself but in God whose faithfulness you have seen as you practice good money habits.

3. You will have financial increases. There is likely to be increase – more money – as you learn to save and invest your resources and make a return on the investments you makes.

4. You will give freely. It will be easier to give to others because you will have what is needed to help do a good work in someone else’s life

5. Your lifestyle choices will expand. Better money management will lead to improved standard of living with more flexibility to use some of what you have to fulfill life goals e.g. a house, education for yourself or someone else, pay for travel or other life experiences.

6. Your credit ratings will improve. Well managed money opens doors for you to borrow. You will likely find that as you manage and you meet your current obligations in a timely manner – you will have a better credit score and/or lenders will come knocking at your door. That does not mean that you should borrow on a whim. However, it means that if needed esp. for business purposes, the ability to borrow becomes easier.

7. Life planning will be easier. You will be able to make life plans with a little more freedom because you know what you have and you know what you can afford to do. Planning becomes less frustrating and intimidating and you are better able to link your life goals with your financial goals and current resources.

CONCLUSION

God has given you the ability to create wealth and He expects you to manage and increase all that he has given to you. If you practice good money management you will experience financial increase. Therefore, you and I need to do what we have to do – manage our resources, do business and have the faith that as we take action, God will reward and cause our wealth to increase.

Managing Money is a Matter of Faith: 4 Keys to Thrive Financially Read More »

5 Lessons I Learned While Working Towards One Goal

In recent months, I have been in a one-focus mode. I have spent most of my time and energy to one goal – to complete the Financial Empowerment Workbook. I had attempted – over the years – to write this workbook but kept putting it off. Now, I am excited to share this good news with you: The Financial Empowerment Workbook is finally finished!

As I reflected on this finishing point, I realized how much I benefited from this long journey. So apart from celebrating this milestone with you, I want to share a few life lessons I learnt along the way.

  1. Any goal worth doing will take time.

Success doesn’t come overnight – although it may appear that way to those looking from the outside. A friend’s observation after completing this third book was, “Pam, you’re moving slow but steady.” And that’s true!

I can’t rush everything. You can’t rush everything either. Although, I would (and I am sure you would too) love some things in life to move along a little faster. But the reality is our plans don’t always happen within the time frame we want them to. However, if we keep at it we will eventually achieve the desired success.

  1. It’s okay to question yourself.

Yes, it’s okay just don’t question to the point where you convince yourself to give up! Throughout the years of attempting to write the workbook, I wondered at times if it was worth the effort to even try. The thought of forgetting about this book or doing a different book sure did cross my mind. Now that it has been released, I am glad I did it. I am amazed at the positive reviews and encouraging words I have received thus far. I am eager to continue sharing the book with those who need help managing their personal finances.

  1. Take breaks, you will need them.

I had plans to finish the workbook by July, then by October but then it didn’t happen until November and even then there was still some outstanding items needing further edits. In the midst of the goal, I had to take breaks, some planned (like a family vacation) and others not planned or welcomed (like back pains). Whether the break you take is planned or forced on you, embrace the time to reset and refresh yourself. When you start again, you’ll do so from a position of new strength.

  1. Grow in the journey.

Although I delayed writing the workbook, during the time I wasn’t writing I was learning. I read books, studied courses and spoke at events on personal finance and of course gleaned from my experiences and those of others. With this, I gained more knowledge and improved my writing. Also, as I studied the word of God, I gained a greater understanding on money matters from God’s perspective.

No goal is a success without the personal growth of the goal-achiever. You need to be willing to learn from the setbacks, failures, frustrations, wins and joys that are a natural part of living and achieving anything significant.

  1. Remain connected to God.

When working steadily at your goal, you may sometimes experience frustration, doubt, and other negative emotions especially when life isn’t going as you’d hope. Key to all this goal getting is to have faith-based goals that are aligned to God’s purpose for you and to your core values. Such goals will cause you to remain in Christ who will give you the strength, wisdom and tenacity to keep going towards your dream.

One thing I am sure of is that whether your goals take a few months, a year, two years, or 14 years, when you rely on God, He will be your Help. He will concrete your plans (Prov. 16:9).

On a final but important point, whether you’re entering into a New Season in life or celebrating a New Year there is always the opportunity to reset or to restart. Each day brings with it new hope for the future. Each new day brings newness and opportunities. You may have paused on a goal that is now long overdue or you may be working steadily at it. Whatever place you’re at in life, don’t give up.

To reset means to make God your first priority by doing things His way. To do this you have to get His perspective on life and understand His plans for you. But keep this in mind – His plans for you are always better than what you think they are. On doing this, take time out to review and rewrite your plans – turn a new page in your life’s story and trust God to give you the grace to fulfill your destiny.

I’d love to hear from you. What lessons have you learnt while working towards your goals? What do you do to keep focused on your goals?

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8 Reasons Why You Need a Word from the Lord

Praying and asking the Lord for a specific word for your life isn’t just something you do once a year. As you live and function daily in this world, you need God’s powerful and active word for you to be ever present so that you can be a living success.

“For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective].” – (Hebrews 4:12(a) AMP

Considering the power of the word that comes from God Himself, we ought to live by it every day. To live by the word of God is to know, understand, trust and obey every word of God. You should rely on it to help you make the right decisions and take right actions so that you will lead a prosperous and successful life (Joshua 1:7-8 AMP)

“What is God’s Word to You in this Coming Year?” is one of the topics covered in the Make Your Year a Living Success Goals Workbook (pdf format also available). In this section, I discuss briefly the importance of receiving a word from the Lord for the year. However, regardless of whether it is the New Year or any other time of the year or season in your life, you need the word of the Lord to sustain you through your life journey. Here are a few reasons why having a Word from the Lord is so important.

  1. When you are experiencing a difficult time in your life and you don’t feel you have the strength to carry on the word of the Lord will strengthen you in spirit, soul and body. This is what the Apostle Paul spoke of when he was experiencing a challenge that he longed for God to remove from his life. Instead the word of the Lord came to him:

“But He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me.”

I too can attest to such. There was a season in my life when the challenge I was facing seemed greater than the emotional, physical and mental and even spiritual capacity in me to either work through it or overcome it. I recall clearly at that time going to a weekend retreat and during a time of prayer this scripture 2 Corinthians 12:9 AMP came to me with a strong inner confidence that I will be okay. Not soon after that prayer session, I was handed a note from one of the Pastors with the scripture verse on it and a word of encouragement that I would make it through. Even today, that verse means much to me and is a constant reminder of God’s available grace to help me through even my weakest moments.

  1. The word of the Lord comes to confirm your vision whether at a personal level, for ministry, your business or other area of life. Sometimes you may wonder if what you’re doing or want to do is from the Lord or is what God really wants you to do. The word of the Lord can come during times like these affirm what is in your heart.

My desire is to make a strong and positive impact on the body of Christ with my message of financial empowerment and living success through writing, teaching, speaking and coaching. At times I have wondered if I should keep going but yet I can’t seem to stop even when there are setbacks either of my own doing or someone else’s. Throughout the years, I have been sustained by this word, Isaiah 55:5 – “Surely you shall call a nation you do not know, and nations who do not know you shall run to you, Because of the Lord your God, and the Holy One of Israel; for He has glorified you.” Recently through a minister, the Lord confirmed the vision I have. I am confident that I will reach those whom God has assigned to my life to be a blessing to them.

  1. The word of the Lord comes to release His promise to you or to encourage you and assure you of His deep love for you.

One constant prayer and desire of my heart has always been that in all I do God will receive the glory and praise. This wasn’t anything that I spoke verbally to anyone but at one season in my life I prayed for this more than ever. During this time, I received a word of encouragement from a minister. He shared with me just what was on my heart and gave the word of the Lord. These are two of the verses he shared with me which I constantly remind myself of:

Psalm 37:4 – “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 21:2 – “You have given him his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips.

  1. The word of the Lord will give you direction: Have you ever been at a cross-roads in your life when you needed some sound, solid, good direction? I think we have all been in such a place when you either had choices but was uncertain about which direction to take or you just didn’t know what to do. This reminds me of Jehoshaphat when the three armies came to fight against him and Israel. He said something we may have said at some point in our lives, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” (Read 2 Chronicles 20)

Yes, there are times when you and I need to take our cue from people like Jehoshaphat or David – pray, fast and wait for God to respond with the answer. A word from the Lord will not only instruct you on what to do but when you obey that word, you will be victorious.

  1. The word of the Lord can come as a word of discipline or rebuke. Yes, the word of the Lord doesn’t always sound good. You know what I mean – sometimes we need to be corrected or rebuked or put in our place. This is what happened to David when he arranged to have Uriah killed and take his wife as his own. The word of the Lord that came through the prophet Nathan was with stern rebuke and judgement (2 Samuel 12).

This is not the kind of word that any of us desire to have but sometimes it is necessary. In love, the Lord will discipline those who are His when He sees the need to (Hebrews 12:5-11). That is one blessing of being a child of God. God your Father will out of love discipline you through His word to keep you from harm, to protect you from your own mess and from the trap of the enemy. What a good, good Father God is!

  1. When you think you lack faith or need more if it, the word of the Lord is able to help build your faith. Romans 10:17 states: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” It is necessary to take time on a daily basis to read the word of God. But there is a time when you need to be in it more that usually, when you are in a wilderness season, when you feel like -you’re far from God or that He’s far from you. You need your faith in God to come alive when a difficult or extremely challenging situation seems “impossible” to resolve or overcome. When you are in a season like this you may not have a specific word from God but spending time reading, listening, watching, studying the Bible with specific focus on a subject will help your faith to grow or be re-ignited to trust God regardless of what is going on in your life.
  1. The word of the Lord gives you the ability to succeed. Do you recall Joshua? A young man who was handed the great responsibility to lead Israel not into the Promise Land but rather to take possession of it as the Lord has promised. The Lord’s word to Joshua came as a command that he should be strong, courageous and not afraid to do what he was expected of him. However the Lord also told Joshua: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8). In order words, live by the word of the Lord and you will be successful in life. Through the book named after this man Joshua, we see that he succeeded in fulfilling the mandate God gave him to lead Israel to possess the Promise.

Joshua 1: 8-9 is the word of the Lord that we all should live by. These verses show us how important the word of the Lord is to our success in life. The word of the Lord when rightly applied or acted upon makes us to act wisely in all areas of our lives so we reap the life successes we so desire to experience.

  1. The word of the Lord will keep you focused on your goal, your aim but most specifically on your God. When you receive a word from the Lord that you know is especially for you, that is speaking loud and clear to your heart don’t let it go. Rather, do what I advise in the goal setting workbook, put it up like a signpost wherever you can see it regularly. Why? The constant reminder will cause you to pray when you need to (which is constantly) and it will also propel you to act when and where you need to. However, if the word of the Lord is not present always you will find that you lapse, you give in to life challenges or give up on your life goals instead of moving forward.

My focus word for this season is FLOURISH. It’s a time for me to bloom, to spread, to fly, to grow in specific areas of my life and in the Lord. The scripture the Lord gave me to focus on is: Psalm 92:12 – AMP – “The [uncompromisingly] righteous shall flourish like the palm tree [be long-lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful]; they shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon [majestic, stable, durable, and incorruptible]. I am eager to see what the Lord will do in my life throughout this season.”

What about you? Do you have a word from the Lord to you that you are holding onto? Is this word written on your heart, on your fridge, on your doorpost, on your computer or on cell phone as a constant reminder? Share with us, what is the word of the Lord to you for this season. Your word could very well be a help to someone else. Share the word.

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10 Benefits of Journaling through Your Success Journey

So above all, guard the affections of your heart, for they affect all that you are. Pay attention to the welfare of your innermost being, for from there flows the wellspring of life. – Proverbs 4:23 (The Passion Translation)

This is a very exciting time of the year for me! I love the newness that the season of Christmas and the celebration of the Old Year into the New Year brings.

It is also a time of reflection, thanksgiving and planning. Actually, since October, I have started seriously thinking and praying about what I would like to accomplish and experience in 2018 and beyond. With the new season approaching, I also began reviewing my goal setting workbook and decided finally to publish it and post Amazon to share with you.

For years, I have been setting goals and accomplishing most of them (once I set the goals and work at them J). Of course, there have been setbacks and setups or highs and lows to working towards the goals but for the most part the journey has been good. I have seen some of my goals accomplished but I have even removed some of them from my list too. Then there are some aspirations that no matter how long they seem to be taking, I can’t shake them off and someday I will see them become living successes in my life!

Journal writing
Image credit: inspirestock / 123RF Stock Photo

However, I have noticed that along the way, with my goals process in hand (in various ways since I didn’t always have it so neatly put together), there has been a constant to working through my goals that I haven’t mention before. I love to journal. I have several books in all shapes, sizes, styles and colors that hold my thoughts, dreams (night visions), feelings, prayers, etc. throughout the years of my life. Occasionally I would take a page or two from one of my journals and read them. I am often amazed at way God spoke to me through those pages that I wrote or as I look back I see how much God has done in my life. Reflecting through my journals leaves me with a heart of gratitude and praise to my God for His faithfulness.

One thing I did this year in the Make Your Year a Living Success Goals Workbook was to add a section on journaling. I thought it necessary to include this as important element to the goal-setting and goal-getting process because of the benefits that you can gain from journaling. Whether you set goals or not, journaling has a way of adding great value to your life. Journaling ….

  1. Helps you to express your inner thoughts through writing.
  2. Frees you to share who you are with yourself and with God. Thus you get to know yourself better.
  3. Gives clarity to your life’s journey. You gain a better perspective of your circumstances and are able to solve problems easier.
  4. Reflects on the past and present and prepares you to look ahead to the future with enthusiasm and hope.
  5. Clears your mind of the clutter – mental, emotional and spiritual clutter – and positions you to a place of gratitude.
  6. Teaches you that your life isn’t so bad after all and that you are doing some things right.
  7. Refreshes and renews your inner you – giving you the opportunity to turn over a new leaf in life.
  8. Is considered to be beneficial to your overall health but strengthening certain immune cells and reducing stress.
  9. Boost your intelligence and creativity. Personally, I find that journaling helps me to focus more on God, new ideas come easily and my writing improves.
  10. Helps you set the course of your life. It allows you to guard your heart – your thoughts, your will, your discernment, and your affections. As you journal, you see firsthand where you need to improve but also what is working for you. Journaling helps you to keep and/or bring your life into divine order – into alignment to God’s will.

I would encourage you to consider journaling especially when you’re feeling a bit weighted down with life’s happenings. Yes, I know that this could be one more thing added to your to-do list but don’t look at it as another burden. Rather view it from the perspective of being life building and life strengthening. Consider it as part of your “Me time” to refresh you so that you can be all you need to be and grow to be a better you as your life progresses.

How to journal? Hmmm… freely! Write from the heart. Get a book that you designate as your journal and keep in private! Knowing that it’s yours and not available for other eyes to see makes it easier to write the deep thoughts concerning your life.

Journal on a regular basis – daily or weekly – or as you see the need to. I don’t journal every day so when I do I write a lot! A set time and place where you can write without interruption is very preferable, so give careful thought to this. Early in the morning or last thing at night are usually the best times for journal. Anyways, you choose what is best for you based on your lifestyle.

In all this, commit your journaling to the Lord and enjoy the time alone with you!

Do you journal? What takeaway have you received from this post? I’d love to hear from you. Share your thoughts. Write a comment below.

Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established. – Proverbs 16:3 (NKJV)

Make Your Year A Living Success Year Goals Workbook is available in the following formats:

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How to End Your Love Affair with Money

And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own? “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, heard all this and scoffed at him. – Luke 16:12-14 (NLT)

Money, mammon, wealth, or riches – whatever word you use or however you look at you, you have to deal with money every day. The challenge with money – whether you have great sums of it, not enough money or even none at all is that you have to manage money. Daily you are faced with having to earn money, save money, give money, spend money or borrow money. All this interaction with money leads you to form a relationship with money. Some money behaviorists and money coaches call this connect a “money relationship” but I described it as a “love affair with money”.

What?! A Love Affair with Money? Yes, I know that does sound ludicrous, too personal and too intimate. The reality or the truth is that you deal with money so much that you form an emotional connection with it that is often not beneficial to you or to those around you.

I know of those who have been so caught up with making money or trying to reach some proverbial money goal that in the push to get it, they lose – not only money but family, friendships and other relationships that far outweigh what money can do. The greed and the love of money have led people to lie, cheat, steal and even kill to get it! There’s also the other side, where some have been so fearful about having “too much money” because they think money will change them for the worse. Others adopt a selfish attitude that they only want enough for themselves and their love ones. Sadly, they do not recognize or care to acknowledge that there are needs beyond themselves.

Okay, let’s look at it in another way. Imagine that you just received an unexpected gift of $20,000. How do you feel? What’s your thoughts as you think about this new money you now have? Did you start thinking about how would use (spend) that money? Did you feel a sense of relief because you have that extra that could help you in so many ways? Now turn your imagination in the other direction. What if you lost $200,000 or incurred an expected major expense of that amount? How do you feel now? Total opposite reaction right?

So you see, money effects more than just your bank account. It effects you – body, soul and spirit. You may have several reactions when it comes to money – either you love it, hate it, fear it or have some level of indifference to it. But the truth is that any of those approaches can lead to poor mismanagement and financial troubles.

What you and I need to accomplish in life where money is concern is a balance approach. Rather than allowing money to control our lives, we need to control it. If you get to the heart of money matters and its impact, you will stand in a better position as the master of your money rather than money being your master.

But you may be asking, “How do I become a master of money? I am in debt and can’t pay my bills on time. I don’t have a lot and I am constantly worried.” Or you may be asking the same question but your story may be somewhat difference, “I earn a good income but I don’t know where it is going. I can’t seem to keep money in my bank account.” These two very real situations show how controlling money can be if you don’t take over and be in control of it. But there is hope and help here. Some of the ways you can control your money and take back your life really is to:

Let God Master You And Your Resources
First and foremost, love God, be loyal to Him and serve Him only. Jesus says it, both God and money are masters. Which one do you want to rule you? When you make a comparison, God always comes out on top as being not only a loving master but a loving Father. The choice is yours.

Secondly, be generous. Make every effort to tithe to God and give to others. Whether you see it that way or not right now, money is not meant to be hoarded; it is currency, it flows from you to someone else, from someone to you. The promise regarding giving is that the more you give the more you actually receive. Proverbs 11:24, NIV – “One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.”

Educate Yourself in Personal Finance
Educate yourself – biblically and practically – on money management. The more you know and understand the better equipped you are to make sound financial and life decisions.

Read and study money books, audios, videos, newspapers, online magazines, blog posts (like this one) to guide you in your financial empowerment journey. You can even hire a money coach or seek some form of counseling if you so desire or believe you need more direct assistance.

View Money Objectively
Take the emotion out of money by managing objectively. How? Constantly remind yourself that it isn’t yours in the first place even though you are fully responsible for it now.
When you manage money like it’s a business or like you have to give your employer a detailed report about what you’ve done with his money it makes it easier. Why? You manage from a position of respect. You manage logically. You assess the risk of whatever you do. You’re more cautious. You also seek to be profitable but again weighing the risk of any investment you make. You diversify to spread your risk.

How to take the emotion out of money? Remember you’re a temporary owner and have to give God a good report of your life including how you manage your personal finances.

FINALLY … Make a Personal Commitment
Yes, every starts with a thought and a thought decision. Today decide. Are you going to let money rule or overtake your life or are you going to rule and manage it and let it serve you instead. Make a commitment today to change your relationship with and management of money.

Let’s together turn a new page in your lives to become better money managers. If you think you’re bad at this money thing, ask God to make you good at it. If you’re a good money manager ask him to make you a better one.

Today, will you make a personal commitment to yourself and to God? Recognize that you owe it to yourself to live a financially empowering life and to start doing so right now. Share your commitment and comment below.

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Idea to Reality: 8 Steps to Make It Happen

So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.” – 2 Kings 4:2 (NKJV)

Some time ago I wrote a post called “What’s In An Idea?” I discussed what an idea involves – Imagination, Development, Empowerment, Achievement. The purpose of that article was to get your thoughts rolling about the ideas you have had and maybe dismissed them and didn’t pursue for one reason or another. I wanted you to see how important the thoughts you have were and what pursuing them could do for you and others. You can take time to read that post here.

Today I want to develop that original post a little further. To have an idea is great but to do something with that idea is even better. It takes discipline to move what ideas you have – whether it is to increase you income, change you career, have better relationships with your family members, grow deeper in your walk with God – from thought-state into reality. For the last few months, I’ve been occupied with many ideas and I’ve been learning in the process. Some of what I’ve learned is what I want to share with you.

As God’s creation, you are full of ideas. For me, it doesn’t take much for ideas to start coming to me. As I interacting with people in ordinary conversation; thoughts of what that person can do or what I can do will start to swiftly come to mind. I get lots of ideas when I am listening to the word of God whether at church or at home on my computer or from the television. Reading books can also trigger new ideas. Most importantly in my alone time with God; I often receive God-breathe thoughts or ideas.

But there are some realities about ideas that I’ve also experienced:
• Ideas don’t die. You may recognize that one or two of your ideas seem like repetitive ones but with a slight twist to the previous. Those ideas are hard to ‘shake’ off and almost seem to be screaming at you to bring them to reality.
• Good ideas are God-breathed and are given to you to implement. Even if you don’t carry out the ideas you’ve been given, God in His providence will pass that idea unto someone either within your family or without to bring that idea into reality
• Ideas benefit you as well as others within your immediate sphere of influence and beyond
• Ideas – whether many or few, big or small – can be overwhelming. In this case, you and I must get God’s direction on what to do. This requires constant connection with Him
• Ideas are unique because you are unique. Even though someone else may have a similar idea to yours it’s not the same as yours. You bring your own personality, experience and perspective to every idea you have.

But the purpose of the post is to talk to more about what you can do with your ideas especially those that don’t seem to leave your thoughts. What do you do with the ideas that you want to see become reality? There are two initial and necessary responses to such ideas: First, write down the idea as clearly as you can and second, seek God’s purpose for your idea and ask for success.

In 2 Kings 4, the account of the indebted woman seeking advice from the prophet provides a backdrop of how an idea can go from thought to reality. Although we often look at this as the “getting out of debt” process, it bears close resemblance to the steps we need to take to get our ideas into reality.

1. Get direction
Seek advice for sound people – business people, pastors, people with specific expertise like lawyers, accountants, medical professionals, etc., – to help you get started on the right path.

2. Start working on your idea now
Don’t hesitate. After writing out your plan and seeking help from God and others, it’s time to buckle down and get a move on that idea. The quicker you start the more likely you are to finish it.

3. Avoid distractions
Avoid too much chit chat. Avoid social media and socializing too much when you know you have something great to accomplish.

4. Have an inner circle
Get your family and friends involve in your goal; specifically those who can be trusted and who will work with you and not pull you and/or your idea down.

5. Delegate some tasks
You can’t do everything. (I am still working on this one!) If you are building a business you can’t do all the associated business related task. You will become overwhelmed and worn out. Know your strengths and work those. But where you are weak or where the task is time consuming and un-enjoyable for you, delegate it. Maybe you can even rendered one of your services or products in exchange for something that you need for your business.

6. Don’t give up!
Keep moving forward until your idea becomes a reality, until you reach your goal or until you are experience the level of success in a particular area that you’ve always desired. Even when you attained a certain level of your dream reality, you have to keep moving forward to maintain it and to accomplish even greater. Why? The more you grow the more ideas will come to you of other things you can accomplish.

7. Always seek advice
Yes, at the beginning of your idea you would have received some direction but you still need more. At different stages where you may hit a roadblock and you’re not sure what next to do – go back to God, go back to your trusted advisors, do some research, read books and study other information to help you get over that hurdle. When you get the answer – move on, act on it.

8. Make History
Really, make history? Yes, you can! You may be the first in your family to do something different but that okay. Be the ‘you’ that God created you to be. Don’t be a stereotype or a copy of others. Your idea may be something that no one in your generation has done before. So what! Go for it!

I hope that this article gives you some encouragement to move your idea into reality. One last note…I journaled these two thoughts earlier in the year after attending a conference and captioned it as “From the Lord”:
“Don’t allow the greatness you see inside of you to scare you but rather let it propel you to move forward until it becomes a reality.”
“With every great dream and thought you have, invite God to partner with you to make your dreams become real.”
(Signed and Dated: PC. 08-Jul-2017 @ 12:24am)

This is my encouragement to you. As you seek God and aim to carry out His specific purposes in your life – ideas, great big ones, will come. Don’t hesitate to act on them. God’s got your back while you’re in the trenches working out His plan in your life. He will be with you all the way. If you don’t give you, you will receive your rewards. Let this encourage you and give the empowerment you need to take action in any area of your life you desire success.

God bless. PamC

What dream do you need to make happen?

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