The Poem That Forever Changed My Financial Life

Written by Barbara Huson

I was leafing through some old files when I found a poem from a lifetime ago. Instantly, a rush of painful memories flooded my brain.

My life was in shambles. My husband’s gambling was out of control. The ATM kept insisting we had no money. I hated myself for being so helpless.

I prayed constantly, begging God to do something—just as I begged my husband to stop gambling. Both ignored me.

Until the day an envelope came in the mail, with no return address. Inside was a poem—no title, neatly typed, all caps, on crisp white paper. I read it and gasped.

The message was obvious. And terrifying. Spirit was telling me what I had to do—face my fear head on.

$uccess As a Spiritual Practice

Written by Barbara Huson

Deepak Chopra once said, “We need a more spiritual approach to success and to affluence.”

I couldn’t agree more.

I even coined a word to describe this approach: Metafiscal–that which blends financial know-how with metaphysical principles; a melding of the sacred and the mundane in regards to money.

You don’t have to be religious to be Metafiscal. I’m certainly not. But something happens when you develop a deep sense of trust in the inexplicable forces of the Universe.

A Spiritual Approach for Scary Times

Written by Barbara Huson

I’ve been turning to A Course in Miracles a lot more these days. I may not be able to control current events, but, as the Course constantly reminds me, I can train my mind to control how I react to them.

This teaching has come in quite handy during the pandemic. Miraculously, in the midst of all the madness, I’ve managed to find serenity.

“Your ability to redirect your thinking,” the Course exclaims, “is the most powerful device that was ever given you for change.”

The ability to redirect your thinking is based on what the Course calls “the most important concept that exists in the universe:” The Law of Cause and Effect. The Course explains this law very differently from the world’s Newtonian version.

To the world, a cause is an external incident which produces an internal effect. The market crashes (cause) and you panic (effect). Your boss complains (cause) and you get upset (effect).

Thank You!

Written by Barbara Huson

I intended to write on a completely different topic. But as my hands hit the keys, I heard a voice in my head “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you…that will be enough.”

I felt that Meister Eckhart was sending me a message (and maybe you too) which I imagined went like this: “Appreciate the abundance you have….and those who’ve made it possible. That alone will change your life.”

So today, in the spirit of Thanksgiving and a 13th century mystic, I’m taking this opportunity to say Thank You…

…to all of you who are reading this blog, even if it’s the only time you ever do, I truly appreciate you reading it today.

…to everyone who’s ever written to tell me how my work has impacted your life, you have no idea how your words have impacted mine. In fact, I have printed out and saved every one of your notes and emails.

Navigating the Chaos of Uncertainty

Written by Barbara Huson

I once saw a cartoon of a frog leaping from one lily pad to another. There’s a look of sheer terror on her face as she realizes she’s about to miss the lily pad. The caption read: Just when you think you’ve made ends meet, someone moves an end.

I suspect that millions of people are feeling a lot like that. Maybe you’re one of them. Poised midair between the old and the new, wondering “What do I do now?”

Welcome to the Age of Massive Uncertainty. The pandemic has played havoc with our lily pads. The present is unfamiliar. The future is unpredictable. Your sense of security is shattered. It feels like nothing’s happening, you’re going nowhere.

Many will do anything to avoid uncertainty. As humans, we yearn for the certainty of solid ground. We’ll numb our anxiety with alcohol or overwork. Or rush head-first into a new job, another relationship.

Yet uncertainty has a powerful purpose. It’s not an empty time. It’s a fallow time, a moratorium, a vital phase in the transition process.

Observations From a Financial Therapist: Money Problems Are Never About Money

Written by Barbara Huson

Let me give you my perspective on why you’re having money problems. This comes from 25 years working as a Financial Therapist.

You know that financial difficulty you’re facing—big or small? It’s about far more than money. It is, in truth, the call of your Soul trying to get your attention.

This problem actually provides you with a powerful opportunity for personal transformation. But what begins as a whisper will, if ignored, grow increasingly louder.

When you finally decide to face your difficulty, you begin the process of becoming all you’re meant to be.

Confronting and solving a Financial Challenge is what opens the door between the life you now live and the life you could be creating. On the other side of that door lies your power.

How Do I Find My Purpose? (Part II)

Written by Barbara Huson

Pinpointing your purpose is like finding your north star. No matter what’s going on in your life, your purpose will always point you toward your Soul’s desired direction.

I’ve known my purpose for years—to empower women financially. For those of you wishing to find—or redefine—yours, let me give you some ideas on where to look, based on my own experience.

1. In Past Pain

I had a line in my book, Prince Charming Isn’t Coming, that my editor cut because she considered it corny. “In our deepest pain, lies our highest purpose.” I’m not sure our life purpose has to come from pain, but it’s a good place to start looking. It’s where I found my direction. What’s been your most painful challenge in life?

When You Combine Profit with Purpose…Watch Out!!! (Part 1)

Written by Barbara Huson

I’ve learned so much from interviewing high earners. Above all, I learned that a Profit Motive is a prerequisite for financial success.

But what propelled those women to higher levels was an added spiritual component, a deep commitment to a Higher Purpose.

While men tend to be motivated largely by profit, perks, and prestige, once we women are financially secure, we shift our focus to how we can serve.

“It happened when my mentality shifted to making a difference,” a successful financial advisor told me of how she went from six figures to seven. “You get to a point where you have more than you need, so you start thinking how you can help others.”

What’s Emotion Got to Do With It? Everything!!!

Written by Barbara Huson

I call it the Secret Shame of Successful Women. And I see it all the time. Bright, sophisticated professionals, making ample incomes, who have little (if anything) to show for it.

Their problem isn’t lack of money. That’s merely a symptom. The real problem is that money is a far more emotional subject than the financial industry recognizes…which does a huge disservice to women.

After decades in this business, I’m convinced that the major reason smart, capable women struggle financially is because of Unresolved Emotions. Emotions such as fear, grief, anger and shame, incurred during their lifetime or passed down from earlier generations.

If You’re in Transition, Read This!!!

Written by Barbara Huson

She had just separated from her husband, moved to a new town and was trying to restart the coaching business she’d put on hold.

Yet she kept procrastinating doing the things she needed to do.

“I feel stuck,” she sighed. “Like I hit a brick wall.”

“You’re not stuck,” I told her. “You’re in transition. And transitions are a bitch.”

I spoke from experience. I remember, back in the 80’s, when I moved to San Francisco, a dream come true. But as soon as I settled in, I sank into a confusing funk. This wasn’t what I expected.

That’s when I read Transitions: Making sense of Life’s Changes by Bill Bridges and understood what was happening. A transition is a gradual psychological process of reorienting to the new situation.

Primitive societies had rituals to give meaning to life’s transitions. Members were taken out of their villages, into the wilderness, where they didn’t know what was going to happen next.

“Every time we make a change,” Bridges writes, “We take a metaphorical journey into the wilderness.”

The wilderness is full of uncertainty, indecision, confusion, disorientation, vacillation–all a vital part of the reorientation process.

The ‘in-between’ period is not a time to commit. Or take decisive action. Or even make plans.

It is a time to feel our feelings, grieve our losses, practice self-care and, like the primitives, commune with our spirit guides.

We need to unhook from the past before we can create a new future.

“The more you can tolerate, even embrace, uncertainty,” I told my client, “the quicker you will get through it.”

Eventually, I assured her, your energy will return. Opportunities will appear. Loose ends will come together. Out of the chaos of uncertainty, new beginnings will inevitably emerge.

How have you successfully navigated transitions in your life? Leave me a comment below.

Spirituality

The Poem That Forever Changed My Financial Life

$uccess As a Spiritual Practice

A Spiritual Approach for Scary Times

Thank You!

Navigating the Chaos of Uncertainty

Observations From a Financial Therapist: Money Problems Are Never About Money

How Do I Find My Purpose? (Part II)

When You Combine Profit with Purpose…Watch Out!!! (Part 1)

What’s Emotion Got to Do With It? Everything!!!

If You’re in Transition, Read This!!!

Meet Barbara Huson

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