I’m often asked this question: I want to become wealthy, but how do I do it?
I am tempted to respond with a line from Hope for the Flowers by Trina Paulus:
“How does one become a butterfly?” she asked pensively.
“You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.”
In other words, you must want to soar so much, that you’re willing to give up playing small and staying safe.
I recently told my team, “I really need to slow down.” I’d been having a series of health problems, and it felt like my body was telling me to ease up, stop working so hard. Nothing in me wanted to listen.
I just couldn’t figure out what my problem was. Then I recalled a lesson I learned from my daughter, an organic farmer
Over 10 years ago, in a rush of adrenalin brought on by a surge of ambition, I suddenly shifted into high gear. I hired a team, restructured my website, created a new marketing campaign, purchased complicated new software, and created all sorts of new products. I was driven.
I had a huge surprise when interviewing high earners for my book, Secrets of Six-Figure Women.
I expected these women to be extremely confident. And they were indeed.
What I never expected was how many of these “confident” women actually felt like a fraud and were terrified others would find out.
Their level of fear was astonishing. But their courage was inspiring. In fact, after one of those interviews, I grabbed a blank piece of paper and wrote, in red crayon: “Do What You Fear. That’s How You Succeed.” I framed it and put it on a table across from my desk where it still stands today. 
A friend, after several difficult setbacks followed by an extended period of self-improvement, finally came to a profound realization.
“My primary business in my life is taking care of me!” she declared.
That statement may, on the surface, sound appallingly selfish. But in truth, it’s admirable and wise.
You can never fully help another until you first take care of yourself.
Even if you have young kids, elderly parents, or an overgrown garden depending on you, you must put your oxygen mask on first to be in any condition to take care of them.
What scares us most about financial success is not that we may fall short, but that we may actually take flight.
I see it in so many women. I saw it myself. We’re terrified to discover that we might be ‘powerful beyond measure.’ And for good reason.
When we claim our power, we raise the stakes. Power insists we become responsible adults, the primary authority in our life…autonomous, accountable, and as singer/songwriter Helen Reddy crooned, “too big to ignore.”
You’re eager to play a bigger game. You’re smart, ambitious, with a solid plan in place. But, damn it, you can’t seem to make any headway.
Want to know what’s holding you back? Those devilish how-to’s, the belief that you must have it all figured out before you even begin.
Plotting every step in advance may feel safe, even smart. But it’ll blind you to all the unexpected opportunities that will inevitably appear.
I was stuck in this mindset most of my life…until I interviewed six-figure women.
Their stellar success followed a three-step strategy:
Step 2 is the game changer. Commitment acts like a magnet, attracting opportunities that often come disguised as coincidences. If you’re not seeing coincidences, it’s likely a sign that you’re not totally committed.
Is there anyone on the planet who hasn’t heard of the ‘Law of Attraction’. It’s the buzzword of the decade. I see it everywhere—books, articles, YouTube gurus—all singing its praises.
Simply put, the Law of Attraction says: you attract whatever you want into your life through your ability to feel good, think positively, and focus only on the desired outcome.
So, if you want to be rich, don’t focus on lack.
But there’s a catch: How many people—maybe you’re one—really want wealth, focus only on abundance….and yet, their bills pile up, their savings shrink?
While cleaning out my files, I discovered a crumpled-up article from the Wall Street Journal, with no date, but faded with age. The subject quickly grabbed my attention.
The reporter asked a bevy of the biggest super stars the secret to their stellar success. What he found surprised him…and fascinated me.
These luminaries—mostly pop singers, pro athletes, and movie stars–gave God all the credit.
Have you ever wondered if you might be settling for less than you truly desire? It’s a daunting question, isn’t it?
But the bigger question is, how do you even know what you genuinely want?
I bring this up because I feel like I’m hearing more women wondering if they’re in the right job, the right relationship, the right city….then inevitably asking: “But how do I even figure out what I really want?
If you’re wrestling with uncertainty, let me share a profound process I used years ago, when I was miserably unhappy and utterly confused.
I asked myself 3 questions. I’m not sure where I found those questions, but they proved to be a game changer as I sat quietly, pondering each one, allowing the answers to emerge until I had clarity:
I was leafing through some old files when I found a poem from a lifetime ago. Suddenly waves of painful, memories flooded my brain.
My life was in shambles. My husband’s gambling was out of control. I begged God for help, just as I begged my husband to stop gambling. Both ignored me.
Then one day an envelope arrived with no return address. There was a poem inside- no title, neatly typed, all caps, on crisp white paper. I read it and gasped. The message was clear—I had to face my fear.
