Yikes! The Sky is Falling!!!

Written by Barbara Huson

As I write, the market’s in a nose dive. Panicked investors are running for the exits.

Please tell me you’re not one of them.

By the time you read this, stocks may have recovered. Or not. The only certainty is that, long term, the trajectory has always been up.

Besides, price swings only matters when you sell. It’s called the Rule of the Roller Coaster: You only get hurt when you jump off.

I discovered this the hard way. My first foray into stocks came after my divorce, in 1986. My broker sent me all kinds of reports and statements, none of which I understood, so I threw them away.

A year later, Oct. 1987, the market tanked…big time! I freaked out, called my broker, told him to sell everything. He begged me not to.

“The market will go back up,’ he said, “It always does.”

I didn’t care. I wanted my money where it was ‘safe’. Of course, the market rebounded, quite quickly. If I stayed put, I’d be a lot richer now. But I learned my lesson.

Fast forward, 10 years later. October, 1997. Prince Charming Isn’t Coming had been published. I knew a hell of a lot more about investing.

Again, the market plummeted. This time, I’m on the phone calling Schwab. My now 2nd ex-husband was upstairs, pacing the floor, in a frenzy about his finances. My teenage daughter comes downstairs, sees me on the phone, asks what I’m doing.

“I’m buying stock” I tell her.

“But mom,” she says, “The market’s crashing.”

“No, Anna” I say. “It’s a sale!”

I understood it then. I understood that eventually the market would go back up…I didn’t know when, but I knew it would.

Sure enough, in the 20+ years I’ve been invested, despite living through at least 8 market crashes, not just corrections like now (when market falls 10%), but full on crashes (when the market plunges 20%), I’m proud to say, I’ve done very, very well for myself.

The secret to success in investing is sticking to a long term approach. Otherwise, you’re not investing. You’re gambling.

What’s your reaction to this crazy market?

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Are You Worshipping a False God?

Written by Barbara Huson

Last fall, I had a crushing realization. I’ve been worshipping a false god…and it’s caused me great pain.

The realization came during a seminar led by one of the early pioneers in internet marketing, Ali Brown.

Her message: Today’s marketplace is so oversaturated, full of noisy distractions and changing so fast, that the old formulas for success no longer work.

“Question everything,” she urged us. “Especially question the metrics you’re using to measure your success.”

She ran down a list of the most common measurements: list size, social media followers, team members, seats filled, speed of growth, etc.

“Numbers are the false gods in our industries,” Ali declared. “A lot of pain comes from how you’re measuring your success because you make assumptions that aren’t always correct, based on size and amounts.”

Thus, came my crushing realization. Numbers have always been my yardstick, not just for my professional success, but my value as a person.

When my numbers were low, I felt like a loser. When the numbers rose, I was once again worthy.

Yet I had no idea how to gauge my level of success except by the size of the numbers. What other metric even mattered?

The answer came in a most surprising manner. My best friend, Jill, was telling me about all the books she’d read by people who had Near Death Experiences.

“The common theme, among those who temporarily crossed over, is that the most important thing in this life is to be your 100% most authentic self,” she explained.

“What if that’s the whole point?” she continued. “What if the only thing the Universe wants is for YOU to be YOU?”

In that moment, I discovered my new metric.

What if I woke every morning, and instead of asking myself ‘What can I do to increase my numbers,’ ask instead, ‘How can I be my most authentic ME?’

The concept is still fresh and feels a bit challenging. How does one even measure authenticity? Can the emphasis on being genuine actually generate profits?

I’m still tempted by the false (yet seductive) god of numbers. But hey, I’ll give this new metric a try. I have to tell you, I feel my soul is smiling in approval.

I’d love to hear from you. Do you have a metric for success…other than numbers?

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The Life Changing Power of Setting Strong Boundaries

Written by Barbara Huson

In my interviews with High Earners I always asked: “Are you doing what you’re doing for the money?”

Almost to a woman, their response was a vehement NO. Passion, challenge, and recognition drove them. But not the money.

Here’s the catch. In the next breath, they all said the same thing. “But I damn well want to be well compensated…because I know I’m worth it!”

Where did their strong sense of self-worth come from? I soon discovered the answer.

These women forced themselves to set strong boundaries. They asked for what they wanted and said ‘no’ to what they didn’t. Over and over again.

This simple (but scary) act was the secret to their financial success. Here’s why:

Asking for more is an act of self-love

Saying no is a statement of self-respect.

Refusing to settle is a show of self-esteem.

And walking away is a sign of self-trust.

Whenever you stand up for what you want, whenever you refuse to take less than you deserve, you reinforce your self-love, self-respect, self-worth, and self-trust.

In time, you’ll begin to notice a shift in how you feel about yourself.

Speaking up becomes not something you should do, but something you have to do— because you know in your heart you’re worth it.

Where do you need to set boundaries by speaking up?

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My “Ambitious” Challenge for 2018. Want to Join Me?

Written by Barbara Huson

I’ve taken on an Ambitious Challenge for 2018. Well, it’s actually not ambitious in the conventional sense. In fact, most would say it was the exact opposite. But if you feel spiritually adventurous, I invite you to join me.

Here’s how it all started.

Anna, my youngest daughter, and I have a ritual we do every January 1st. We call it our “God Box.”

We write down our goals for the year on slips of paper. One by one, we read them aloud, put them in a special box, then we give our goals up to God and don’t look at them again for a whole year. I’m always awestruck at how most come to pass.

But this January, for the first time in 22 years, we didn’t do it. Stuff came up. We got distracted. The day flew by. It never happened. No new goals went into the box.

I found it terribly unsettling. It actually scared me. Was I sabotaging myself? I’ve always preached the power of goals. They’re unquestionably the lifeblood of success. I knew I should write mine down. But my heart wasn’t in it.

Then it hit me. Maybe there’s a reason Anna and I didn’t set our goals this year.

Could one’s goals actually become one’s limitations?

Is it possible that God has greater plans for me than my little brain could ever conceive at this point?

Or am I certifiably insane to think dispensing with specific goals could ever lead to financial and personal success?

That’s when I gave myself an Ambitious Challenge for 2018. My only goal this year is to s-l-o-w down every day, get quiet enough to hear my soul’s wisdom and trust that wisdom to guide me in the direction I need to go.

For an ambitious gal like me, this is one hell of a challenge. I’ll keep you posted. And I’d love to hear from any of you who’ve ever taken on a similar challenge.

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It’s Never Too Late… To Become Who You’re Meant to Be

Written by Barbara Huson

It is said that power is the ability to make something happen. However, I’m convinced real power is the willingness to let something go.

I have to tell you, since I decided to let go of my last name and business model, I’m feeling very powerful.

But I definitely didn’t feel that way in the months leading up to those decisions. I felt scared. Very, very scared.

Scared of losing potential clients or Facebook followers, once I changed my name to Barbara Huson.

Scared of alienating, angering or disappointing people, once I changed my focus to affluent women.

Scared of financial loss, once I stopped teaching classes.

Scared of….The list was endless. And each fear was/is a valid possibility.

But then I opened a birthday card from an old friend, which read “It’s never too late to become who you’re meant to be.”

And instantly I knew, deep in my soul, I had to make those scary changes.

Because it was the only way to step fully into my power…the only way to become all I’m meant to be.

Even at age 70, I knew it wasn’t too late.

I invite you, as the New Year rolls around, to ask yourself: What do I need to let go of to become who I’m truly meant to be? I guarantee, it’ll be that which you’re most afraid to release.

Power (and growth) takes courage. What will you release in 2018?

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Big Changes (and Sadly, Sacrifices) are Afoot…

Written by Barbara Huson

I’m about to take a sharp right turn. (No, not politically!). A sharp right turn is how my brilliant coach, Ali Brown, describes the process of repositioning a business, of shifting focus, of changing tracks.

I am ready to focus exclusively on women who are on the verge of or have achieved affluence… and the particular challenges and issues that comes with it.

I see so many women with wealth (whether they earn, marry or inherit it), yet no matter how much they have, money remains a source of stress, anxiety and pain. They don’t understand how to manage their assets or use their abundance as a tool for pleasure, healing and transformation.

I yearn to work with women who are committed to be good stewards of their money, heal their pain, make a difference in the world, and proudly claim their power.

I know this is what I’ve been put on earth to do. It’s in my genes. It’s my zone of genius.

However, as Ali explained, “Repositioning requires sacrifice.” I must let go of everything that doesn’t fit my new direction…to make room for what does. I can’t be everything to everyone (as much as I’d like to be).

Sadly, that means letting go of my beloved Monthly Monday Money calls. I adore the candid discussions, the emotional transparency. But our discussions rarely covered the topics I consider my true expertise and passion: wealth building, investing, creating impact and leaving a legacy.

So come December, I’ll be passing the baton to my mentor, Karen McCall, a pioneer in financial recovery. The monthly calls and Facebook page will continue, but Karen will be at the helm. There is no one better to respond to your questions about creating a budget, getting out of debt, healing deprivation, and tackling the root causes of money problems. To those who listen, I’m confident I’m leaving you in good hands.

I’m also taking a partial sabbatical. Next year, I’ll no longer be teaching classes to concentrate on coaching, my new mentorship program and continue exploring what’s next. My sharp right turn is a work in progress.

Stay tuned. More big changes are afoot.

Tell me, what have you sacrificed so something better could show up in your life?

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The Temptation to Tolerate…

Written by Barbara Huson

Here’s an interesting question. What are you tolerating in your professional and personal life?

My amazing business coach, Ali Brown, posed that question during her recent seminar, Iconic.

The theme of the seminar: How can you and your business become iconic? Or as Ali put it, how can you “let your genie out of the bottle” so you stand out in a very noisy, crowded, over-saturated playing field?

“You can’t go to your zone of genius, if you’re tolerating mediocrity,” Ali explained. “You can’t get to the real issues while tolerating the annoying stuff.”

It never occurred to me that the willingness to tolerate anything—from minor irritations to major grievances—could interfere with success.

When she suggested making a list of what we’re tolerating, I began with:

Fear, keeping me from starting another book
Too many appointments; too few patches of stillness
Social media
Launches
An uncomfortable desk chair
Clients that aren’t a fit

At first, my list seemed so trivial in comparison to the terrible things women have tolerated for decades. But then, it occurred to me:

Whatever we are tolerating—no matter how slight or how sordid—is another form of victimization, of giving our power away.

So, in the spirit of empowerment, I traded the ease of inertia for the joy of jettisoning the intolerable.

The desk chair is gone, replaced by a comfy one. I’m taking a partial sabbatical, eliminating all launches. I’ve reduced my time on FB significantly. And new clients will fill out an application to make sure we’re a fit.

Already feeling liberated, I look forward to releasing even more.

As Ali pointed out, “Magic happens when you stop tolerating.”

What are you unwilling to tolerate anymore???

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When Your Brain Screams “STOP!”

Written by Barbara Huson

Be forewarned. Anytime you try something new, your habitual brain immediately protests: ‘Watch out, this doesn’t feel right! Stop immediately!”

Peter Senge, in his brilliant book, The Fifth Discipline, calls this reaction “creative tension.”

This tension feels terrible, but it has a purpose. It forces us to act. We’ll do anything to reduce it.

One way is to lower our sights, give up the goal, and sink back into old patterns. This is the quick and easy fix many women take.

A tougher but ultimately more rewarding solution is to stay the course, using tension as a driving force to keep moving forward.

The closer you get to achieving your goal, warns Senge, the stronger the forces become pulling you away, the louder your brain protests, and the more urgently you want to revert to old patterns.

I’ve seen it repeatedly with the women I work with. They’d fall apart at the brink of success, get cold feet, recall the pain of old failures, worry they made the wrong decision.

My advice is always the same. It’s okay to feel bad. Just don’t let it stop you.

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The Real Secret to Financial Success…it’s not what you think!!!

Written by Barbara Huson

Question: What’s the biggest pitfall to making more money?

Answer: Thinking you have to have it all figured out first.

That’s exactly what slows us down, or keeps us stuck

After 40 years of working with women I’ve found that the ones who had the most trouble reaching their goals were the ones who kept trying to figure out exactly what they needed to do to get there.

If they couldn’t figure it out, they tended to lower their sights.

That’s not the way it works at all…at least not for the thousands of successful women I’ve interviewed. Instead, what these women did was:

1. Set a goal,
2. Commit to reach it (without knowing how),
3. Take advantage of unexpected opportunities (disguised as coincidences).
That’s the real secret to success.

It’s not about trying to figure out how, but being willing to let go of control and do what comes next.

Especially if it’s something you’re scared to do.

When have you set out on a path without knowing the exact next step? Leave a comment below.

5 Words to Boost Financial Success

Written by Barbara Huson

I’m flipping through a newspaper, when 5 words practically slap me in the face. I’ve long forgotten the article but the phrase super-glued itself to my brain.

“The Survival of the Focused.”

Those 5 words sum up the Big Secret to Financial Success.

For anyone who’s struggling to live their dream or make ends meet, I say heed those 5 words.

I’ve always considered myself blessed with an unfair advantage. I’m only good at and enjoy doing 2 things: writing and teaching. Period! I see people with far more skills feeling stymied.

Focusing can be very frustrating for the multi-faceted.

If you’re one of those gifted Souls, here’s my suggestion—prioritize your passions. No matter how many interests, talents, opportunities, or possibilities are available to you, success will go to the focused.

Success

Yikes! The Sky is Falling!!!

Are You Worshipping a False God?

The Life Changing Power of Setting Strong Boundaries

My “Ambitious” Challenge for 2018. Want to Join Me?

It’s Never Too Late… To Become Who You’re Meant to Be

Big Changes (and Sadly, Sacrifices) are Afoot…

The Temptation to Tolerate…

When Your Brain Screams “STOP!”

The Real Secret to Financial Success…it’s not what you think!!!

5 Words to Boost Financial Success

Meet Barbara Huson

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