Infinitely Possible Financial Consulting

Money Fun with Seth Green

2009-07-06T01:01:00.000-07:00

I have to admit upfront that this is really an ad for this ad.

Seth Green used to be on one of my all time favorite TV shows: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (among others) and in this clip he gives a tour of his crib and some funny money advice.

Enjoy!

Taking Care of Business, Taking Care of You

2009-06-25T09:13:00.000-07:00

Money work is about two things: taking care of yourself and information. Most of my posts are about the information side. This post is about some ways that you can take great care of yourself and increase your ability to bring in business at the same time.

In my experience, I handle money best when I'm feeling at my best. When I'm feeling down or haven't been taking good care that's when I'm the most likely to make less than stellar decisions - to spend money badly, dip into savings when I wasn't planning on it, over commit myself, or take too much time off.

So here's a reminder of some things you can do to make sure you're feeling in tip top shape. Doing these things consistently will change the way you spend money because it will change the way that you feel. Most difficult decisions people make around money seem to happen when they are feeling emotional, drained, exhausted or scared.

1. Sleep. Getting enough sleep consistently is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. Make sure your space is comfy and dark and that you get at least 7-8 hours every night. If you're doing substantial healing work (physical or emotional) you need 9 and a half hours a night.

2. Eat well. You are what you eat, literally. Your cell walls are made of the fats you eat, your blood carries the nutrients, proteins make up your skin and hair and veggies support your system running clean and getting rid of waste. Crowd out caffeine, sugar, preservatives and trans fats with real, whole, nourishing foods. Eat what truly nourishes you so that you are available, focused and ready for your business and for your life.

3. Exercise. Exercise is the only thing clinically proven to improve depression - the only thing. Moving your body consistently changes your brain chemistry, makes you more effective, able to focus, lifts your mood, and makes you ready to take on the world. Find some way that you love to move your body and go for it! If you don't love your body, begin by becoming aware of that and notice what joy there is. Keep coming back to that in any moments of self-destructive behavior to help you re-focus. You are a beautiful human being.

4. Get outside. The earth, the clean air, the sunlight all have things to offer your body. Sunlight effects brain chemistry positively. 20 minutes a day is the minimum needed to get your sun-related vitamins. Yum!

5. Be kind. Doing a kind act releases serotonin which makes you feel good. In fact, doing the act, receiving the act, and watching the act all create those chemicals. Make kindness part of your day and see how it changes the way you feel.

5. Love. Be with people who feed you and who you feel good about. When you're filled up you're more likely to do something kind and be at your best and that draws the best of the universe to you.

6. Play. Playfulness inspires participation. Looking to bring in new clients? Play. Looking to find a partner? Play. Get out and have a great time and see what happens, how many people you meet and how you feel afterwards (it's also great to helping you induce sleep and cure insomnia!). It's one we often seem to over look, but that attitude is more likely to bring in clients than all the other things you're doing combined. Plus it's fun. And who doesn't want to have fun?

6. Practice skilled relaxation. Whether it's meditation, yoga or Tai Chi, doing something that intentionally brings you into your body and present helps your nervous system do it's job and take better care of you and your brain which makes decision-making more clear. Plus it feels so good.

7. Contribute. Recently in a workshop Matthew Engelhart of Cafe Gratitude fame, said something to the effect of, "When you feel constricted around money, give." Contribution gives life purpose and meaning as does love and family. These are things that help us, causing us to strive for the best and reach beyond ourselves into the extra-ordinary. Also remember that bit about kindness above? I'm a volunteer junkie - helping people makes me feel really good. And right now there are a lot of opportunities to help. So figure out what inspires you and give - time, money, energy and see what happens. Open the door to possibilities and co-creating something amazing with the people you love.

8. Take care of the gift wrap for your soul. You body is the home of your emotions, thoughts, and actions. Don't put off the trip to the dentist, doctor, healer, massage practitioner or body worker. If you know you need to, you do. Feeding yourself in that way makes you available to friends, family and your business. You've only got one body and I know it's cliche, but it will take care of you if you take care of it. All those aches and pains, lack of clarity, headaches and stiffness are telling you something. Tune in and listen.

Have a beautiful amazing day and I look forward to seeing you out in the wide world!

Finding The Forms You Need

2009-06-09T13:12:00.000-07:00

You know how at the end of the year you're working on those pesky 1099 forms but find that you don't have the contractor's social security number or tax identification number?

Very small companies and companies that use a lot of independent contractors need to use for W-9 get tax ID information from their contractors. It's a simple form to have your contractors fill out bfore they start working with you.

You can find that form here. (Note: This will change in future years.)

You can search www.irs.gov for IRS forms or pulications. They are generally available online.

Now you know, so no excuses!

6 Ways to Take Money Out of Corporation

2009-06-08T15:16:00.000-07:00

One of the bigest confusions I see in corporate bookkeeping is how you can take money out of the corporation. So I've complied a very basic list for us to refer to.

(1) Repayment of a loan to the corporation. This is not taxable to the stockholder. The stockholder should have reported interest earned and the corporation should have taken an interest expense deduction.

(2) As dividends paid by the corporation. Dividends are profits split among the shareholders proportional to the number of shares each stockholder owns. For example, a company has $100 to pay in dividends, if one stockholder owns 40% of the stock, he should receive 40% of the dividends or $40. See dividends for more information on them.

(3) By selling some of his stock back to the corporation. This becomes Treasury Stock to the corporation (as opposed to Common Stock) and is not taxable to the sharehold if he receives the same amount per share as the amount per share for which he originally bought the stock.

(4) As salary. The salary amounts are not dependent upon the number of shares owned. For example, if two shareholders each owns 50% of the outstanding stock, it is not necessary that each get identical salaries. Bonus payments would also fall under this category. This is taxable as payroll and the corporation must pay liabilities on the amounts paid.

(5) Theft or embezzlement. This is taxable to the shareholder as he is caught.

(6) As a loan from the corporation. In this case there should have been loan documents drawn up and signed by both the stockholder and a corporate officer. The corporation will record periodic interest earned and the stockholder may be able to take interest paid as a tax deduction.

There's abunch of other things that people think they can take out of a corporation, but they can't. Partner "draws" are one of those things.

Reimbursements are not wages or money taken out, they are corporate expenses being paid in advance by an individual. So the reibrusement is not taxable and does not fall into this category.

Please note: this is a beginning only. This does not create a reliance of any kind.

Why Prosperity Work Often Doesn't

2009-06-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

I see a lot of "Prosperity Work" going around - people teaching classes, communities doin events, books, television shows, etc. But people consuming it aren't getting rich. Or even making enough money to thrive.

Why is that? What is it that holds us back from having more money?

I can't say I have The Answer. But one of the most overlooked thing about money is: our relationship to it. Most people assume that they want more of it so they are going to do something, primarily an emotional thing - like prospereity work - to try to make it happen. First of all, this has to be accompanied by real world actions or it's virtually useless - unless you're teaching the class.

In using the approach of prosperty work, it assumes that whatever the issues is we need money to fix it. That also assumes things like it can be fixed and that we know the solution. Is that true or accurate or even useful?

Let's look at this from another angle. If you have difficulty with digestion and are suddenly hungry, is the answer more food?

Well, maybe. But we don't know.

The answer is to figure out what nourishment you require, acquire it, prepare it and make time to sit down and consume it. Having more food won't fix the issue, it won't nourish you and it won't prevent hunger or create a solution for addressing future needs that won't also irritate your digestive track. Your missing information, clairty and action.

There's a similar idea for relationships. If you have a difficult relationship with yoru parents, is the way to fix it to have more time with them? Sometimes. Maybe. I don't know.

The point is that just having more of a thing is over-simplistic and doesn't usually meet the needs of the seeker.

The thing that is generally missing from the equation is clarity. Most people have a twisted relationship with money or the things they use money for and so it's assumed that money, and only money, will fix a problem.

That way of thinking creates a level of scarcity and emotional constriction going into the situation that prevents clear thinking and therefore decisive action. You've created desperation and fear before you've even bagan. If you were afraid you'd never eat again, what would your next meal look like? And if you were afraid you'd never see your Mom again, what would that visit look like?

The question to ask yourself is: do you have clarity about your relationship with money? Have you so contricted and twisted up how you feel about money that you're not using your resources appropriately and so it's unavailable? Is there some way that you could be more honoring of money so that when it is available you can use it to it's fullest?

Just like planning meals is both necessary for running an efficient household (especially with kids!), creating a money plan is necessary for effective use of currency and resources. Planning focuses on clarity, intentions and goal setting as well as decisive action and review. This creates a space for money to be, a container to put it in (literally sometimes like accounts and investments) and a direction for it to flow.

If a plan is not available and active, all the asking in the world is not going to draw money to you, there's no space for it and no where for it to go.

I'm not saying "don't aquire more money" or even "stop doing prosperity work." The point is to get clear about what you're looking for and why, so that you make space to have the money that would really serve your needs.

Bookkeeper's Roundtable: Bank Specializing in Small Businesses

2009-05-04T16:09:00.000-07:00

Tonight Dale Marie Golden, VP of Alta Alliance Bank will be speaking at our gathering. We've had several conversations about banking in our group and Dale is VP of a bank I really like; they specifically work with small businesses and non-profits. I hope you'll join us to talk about banking and what this small bank has to offer that our clients (and our own consultancies) can really benefit from.

This group is primarily for finance professionals, but tonight it's open to small business owners who are interested in hearing about this.

Date: May 4, Monday
Time: 7:30 PM
Where: Viceroy
21 Shattuck Square, Berkeley 94704

Please RSVP here or to: briana at infinitelypossible dot net

Thanks!

Three Exciting Events!

2009-04-28T12:51:00.000-07:00

There are three big things on the horizon for us here at Infinitely Possible:
* Tonight @ EcoTuesday, meet my apprentice
* May 4th, 7pm @ Viceroy's in Berekeley come talk about banking
* I'm going to be on the radio! May 20th @ 2:30pm!

Tonight I'm bringing my apprentice, Tom Howard, with me to EcoTuesday . It's turning into quite the event. In addition to the panel discussion, several of my clients have said they will be there and I'm bringing my exciting and talented apprentice with me.

Tom is studying to be a CPA and has vastly helped me get current and re-inspire me in my work. It's very exciting. Plus he's English so he's got that cool accent thing going on.

Come on out!

I will be hosting May's Bookkeeper's Roundtable with special guest Dale Marie Golden. Dale is the VP of Alta Alliance bank - the bank I'm curently most impressed with and is going to talk to us about banking and why her bank is doing well in this economy. Even if you're not a bookkeeper, you might want to check it out!

We'll meet Monday May 4th @ Viceroy's in Berekeley at 7pm.

One last note that I'll share more about soon is that I'm going to be on a radio show being hosted by one of my former clients Alice Moore of Emerge Healing (see Coffee Meditations). She's a nutritionist and her show is about what it really means to be healthy. So I'll be talking about financial health and well being. If there's a question that you'd like answered, let me know and I'll try to get it included! And I'll post the date when I know it.

EDIT: I have the date: May 20th @ 2:30pm and I'll let you know more details when I have 'em!

It's an exciting time to be doing money work and I hope that you'll join me at one of my upcoming events or inspired to invite me to one of yours!

The Clock of the Long Now: Everyone Has a Perspective

2009-04-14T22:47:00.000-07:00

In reading about the Clock of the Long Now I came across:

"My friends who get it all have ideas that focus on a particular aspect of the clock. My engineering friends worry about the power source: solar, water, nuclear, geothermal, diffusion, or tidal? My entrepreneurial friends muse about how to make it financially self-sustaining. My writer friend, Stewart Brand, starts thinking about the organization that will take care of the clock. It's a Rorschach test - of time. Peter Gabriel, the musician, thinks the clock should be alive, like a garden, counting the seasons with short-lived flowers, counting the years with sequoias and bristlecone pines. Artist Brian Eno felt it should have a name, so he gave it one: The Clock of the Long Now."

Money is very much like that: everyone has a perspective on it, but no one is sure how it works exactly. Money can be a thing of beauty and pleasure or of pain and anguish. It can be something to fuel a creative project or something that helps us survive. Maybe it's all of those things and maybe it's none of them.

What's your perspective?

P.S. This blog entry might be a ploy to get you to read the article; it's certainly a nudge to enhance thinking about perspective. And as always it's a portal to drop in and tell me what you think, even if you only do it on Facebook.

Tax Payer Advocacy

2009-04-13T20:47:00.000-07:00

One of the many things that most people don't know about the IRS.

Taxpayer Advocate Service is an organization that that helps tax payers get help paying their back taxes, settle issues with the IRS and helps them get help with there is a financial hardship regarding those taxes.

From the site:
"Our mission in the Taxpayer Advocate Service reaches beyond individual cases and extends into the realm of Systemic Advocacy. The role of Systemic Advocacy is evident in the TAS mission statement: "As an independent organization within the IRS, we help taxpayers resolve problems within the IRS and recommend changes that will prevent the problems." This means we try to repair systemic flaws in the IRS and the tax code, which can cause trouble for taxpayers and IRS employees alike."

Interesting, isn't it?

Did you know?

2009-03-31T10:43:00.001-07:00

That there were more millionaires were made during the depression than any other time in history?

That's what I hear.

After doing a bunch of reading what I'm learning is that people who keep up their financial education and use their liquid capital to invest in things that develop during this time people make a lot of money. In part that's because many people are freaking out and pull out of their investments, get out of their homes and use the model of fear being generated in the economy to drive them.

There are always people who make money during any economic downturn, after all the unemployment rate rises to 12 or 20% that still sees more than 80% of people in jobs. And while it sucks to lose your job, many people do not. Many people are just fine. And in fact in the US most of us are more wealthy than 95% of people around the world.

And in fact I can see it. In this economy I'm bringing in clients. They are coming to me. I have a commitment to do my best for clients, consistently learning and growing. And I'm not giving up. I'm not watching CNN (Constantly Negative News) and I'm not reading the newspaper and I'm not letting fear run me.

I am:
I am learning more: going to seminars, getting further education in my trade and connecting further into my professional networks.
I am listening to people who are highly profitable and learning what they are doing.
I am meditating and taking good care of myself.
I am not letting the voices that come up of fear, defeat and hardship run me. Instead I tell them no and decide what my possibilities are.

Instead of worrying about money and listening to that negative story, take a moment right now and ask yourself: what are the possibilities? How could I be even more kind to myself and even more loving? What is possible for me right now? And take one action RIGHT NOW towards being the person you really want to be or having the business that really inspires you and your community. That will show your story that you mean business and that things are changing - right now.

The Cure for Money Madness

2009-03-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

I keep hearing great things aboutThe Cure for Money Madness: Break Your Bad Money Habits, Live Without Financial Stress--and Make More Money!. He works with my financial coach and you can learn about his work here.

If you read this, do let me know. I'm interested in what people, especially my clients think of it. And I'll get to it, but not until after tax season!

Inoculations of Hope

2009-03-24T19:49:00.000-07:00

In the pre-Obama world a lot of people working for peace and justice on the left had a lot of fear, doubt, pain and anger about the possibilities of change. But even in that place, one of my favorite resources has been Rob Bresnzy and his book Pronoia: The Antidote for Paranoia. Well today I found his blog.

It has a lot of things that are really right in the world. If you need a dose of hope, check it out.

No pricing policies

2009-03-24T19:44:00.000-07:00

There's an exciting trend in allowing people to "pay what they can." CNN has an article about Sam Lippert taking prices off of his menu.

Cafe Gratitude's Workshops are being offered in pay it forward style. It's so exciting. This idea allows for a wide variety of people and styles, allowing some people to pay more than they might otherwise and some to pay less.

It also has the advantage of bringing in more business to the establishment and class.

Money and Food - Is it True we Don't Have Enough?

2009-02-27T08:29:00.000-08:00

I only get two physical magazine subscriptions these days. One of them is National Geographic and the other one is Yes Magazine. Their tag line used to be something like "the magazine of positive futures". And I loved that - I was inspired to pick it up at the US Social forum back in 2007. They've changed the tag line, but not their style. They have a national and global look at what's going right in activism and movements and how you can connect and get involved locally with making a difference. Making a difference and watching others make a difference is inspiring.

I am into food security activism (which is not about using guns to secure food but rather to make sure that people have enough to eat) and this month they have a great article on Belo Horizonte, Brazil. They have implemented a food for all policy making sure their people are fed which includes many methods: from using public space for farming and that food being sold below market cost, to People's Restaurants where whole good foods are sold cheaply to feeding children in nursery schools 3 meals a day. It's brilliant.

They reduced their hunger and child mortality rates dramatically in just a couple of years (which is one measure of nutrition). And they do it all for about a penny a day per person. Holy cow!

I love this work. Frances More Lappe, who wrote the article also founded Food First and wrote "Diet for a Small Planet."

If you know or want to know nothing else about food security activism, I encourage everyone to read the 12 Myths About Hunger. It explains the difference between the hunger issue and the policy issues. I believe that all humans deserve to eat food every day as a right of being alive and this piece of writing was one of my great inspirations for that belief. Hunger is a matter of policy not food quantity and that made it clear to me that scarcity really is all about how we think about it. Go read! And tell me what you think!

Business Practices and Emotional Clarity

2009-02-23T09:14:00.000-08:00

This weekend I went to Cafe Gratitude's Sacred Commerce workshop.

It was both informative and a lot of fun.

They use components of NVC (non-violent communication) to help people really hear and be heard - critical to make sure your work with clients and employees is clear, effective and efficient.

This workshop is taught by Matthew and Terces Engelhart, the founders of Cafe Gratitude. They have clearly studied a lot of personal growth work from NVC to meditation and gratitude practices. The workshop itself is about how to clear out what's keeping you from being present so that you can be at work and not be carrying emotional baggage into that or any space. In fact they take it beyond being present into being grateful. It's a great idea and it really works.

Cafe Gratitude spend about $230,000 a year on this process. They employ more than 200 people and every morning they do this process with each employee from District Managers on down to dishwashers. Each person sits with someone and goes through the process of getting present and shifting into gratitude. Every day.

And they are profitable. That's the key here. This is a business who consistently turns a profit with sustainable business practices. They wrote a book about this process and other aspects of how they run their business called "Sacred Commerce" which you can also find on their website.

Not only that, but they have started a practice of making their work more widely available by using a model of pay it forward. You go to the workshop and get value from it and decide what it's worth and then pay for the next person to be able to get that same seat next month. I paid for my seat so that you can go. Enjoy!

To me Cafe Gratitude is a clear and exciting example of how business can work in alignment with their values and do amazing things in the world.

Accounting terms - debit and credit

2009-02-10T13:12:00.000-08:00

There were two specific terms that were challenging for me because them mean different things are different times - or so it seemed.

You see a debit is an accounting entry which results in either an increase in assets or a decrease in liabilities or net worth. Opposite of credit.

Where as a credit is the opposite.

But when you look it up the definite says nothing about accounting entries. It talks about consumer credit and lines of credit. So when the banks loan you money, they see an increase in assets (especially because they've been lending on a 1:40 ratio). A credit is an increase in liabilities - for you. So while you receive cash, you're worth less money because of it.

Interesting no?

An affirmation to work with around credit and debt: My debts represent my and other's belief in my future earning potential.

Using QuickBooks Online - IE plug in for Firefox

2009-02-03T08:40:00.000-08:00

There are still a few sites that run on Internet Explorer only and QuickBooks Online is one of them. I don't recommend it, by the way. It's slow, clunky and often has connectivity issues. But if you're going to use it, you might want to use it in Firefox rather than in IE itself.

If so, you'll need this plug in for Firefox. It is for Windows only, as far as I can tell. Sad all around. It means that I still can't use QBs Online on my preferred and well-loved Mac. But at least I'm not bound to Microsoft.

How much for that inauguration, Mr President?

2009-01-20T13:05:00.000-08:00

One of the traps of money can be that we make different kinds of calculations at different times and compare them. This leads to a lot of confusion and, when we do this with our own budgets, a way of misleading ourselves.

The press often does this to lead us where they'd like us to go. It's what federal budgets comparisons are often about and it's what many people argue about - in business, politics and especially intimate relationships. So it's great to get a chance to see that exposed.

So, here's a little about the discrepancy of inauguration figures and why.

Happy Inauguration day!

Free Payroll Seminars in California

2009-01-10T22:29:00.000-08:00

The Employment Development Department teaches free payroll seminars on various topics.

This is a great place to go and get more information or get your questions answered about topics like federal and state payroll, state labor laws, and whether that person working for you is an employee or a contractor. And they are all free.

Right now it looks like they only have one that is web-based, but that's a start.

Beginning with a new Bookkeeper: Documents and Information

2009-01-04T12:17:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

People often decide that they want to start with a new bookkeeper in the new year. After deciding on who, and where and for how much, the next big question is: what do I need to give my shiny new bookkeeper in order for us to work together?

I've put together a list of documents that you'll need in starting with a new bookkeeper. Keep in mind that you'll need these document as of the date of either the opening of the business or the date of beginning the new records (whether you're choosing QuickBooks, Quicken, Excel, or doing the books by hand you'll have to choose a starting date).

Checkbook stubs or checkbook register with vendor names, dates, and amount information.
Business bank statements (checking, savings, etc.)
Business loan information (lines of credit, personal loans/equity, asset purchases, etc.)
Copies of deposits including descriptions of income
Business credit card statements
Business expenditures made with personal funds (check, cash, credit card)
Subcontractor/vendor information (name, address, taxpayer’s identification # either EIN or SSN)
Customer/client information (name, address and how much they owe you)
Business taxpayer’s identification numbers (federal & state)
State & Federal applications for filing online payroll taxes
Employee information for payroll tax returns
Federal and state tax returns for previous year's filing, if applicable
CPA, tax attorney or tax professional's contact information, if you have one

A note about QuickBooks and downloading transactions. Many people want to be able to download transactions into QuickBooks or Quicken or some program. To do that you'll have to talk to your bank and make sure that your bank has that functionality with the type of account that you have and that you're set up to do that. Many banks won't allow you to download QuickBooks formatted transactions from personal accounts and these days there are often fees for the privilege - I've seen them up to $16/month.

Usually you need a separate pin for the software to access the bank's website and sometimes a specific log in to access the transaction. Sometimes you'll need to import them as you can't download them directly and sometimes you can just click one or two things and make it happen. There are time limits to how long the transactions remain on the bank's website as well (usually three months, but American Express seems to have an entire year's transactions for download and have been the easiest to work with).

In any case, there are many answers to this question. So be prepared. If you want this feature, either let your bookkeeper know in advance or be prepared for it to take some weeks to have this set up as the pin in generally mailed to you.

Additionally downloading transactions doesn't always save time. The professional will have to review each and every transaction that goes in regardless of whether they are downloaded or entered manually. And if you're downloading transactions, you're trusting the bank's word on your transaction.

Something Simple: Pre-made Spreadsheets

2008-12-04T13:48:00.000-08:00

I've just run across the most comprehensive list of tracking, budgeting and financial spreadsheets I've seen on the internet. There are both free and more elaborate paid spreadsheets on a myriad topics.

Go see it here.

Think and Grow Rich - free!

2008-11-28T15:50:00.001-08:00

I found out recently the Napolean Hill's "Think and Grow Rich" is public domain so you can get it for free electronically.

One place you can download it is here

Enjoy!

Financial Pressure? What to do Right Now

2008-11-28T11:12:00.000-08:00

One of the lessons that I'm learning is that time and space create a lot more results than pressure.

Have you ever been in a pinch and tried to come up with new ideas about a project? It doesn't matter if it's for work or at home. If you're really worried about it, what happens?

Often the ideas struggle out of my brain. I'm worried and have a hard time focussing. I feel urgency and want results now. I find that if I'm under enough pressure, I look back after making the decision and realize there are about 14 things I hadn't thought of that didn't make it into a project idea or into that proposal or off to that client.

On the other hand when I take time and open up space and spend some time relaxing, ideas just come to me - out of the blue. Brilliant ideas for projects, services and products - so many that I can't follow up on all of them.

Financial pressure is a lot like that. There are plenty of places that talk about money as a river or stream or flowing water and that use the metaphor of a faucet. My experience is that worry is akin to turning the faucet down or even off.

But why? I've heard it talked about in terms of energy and there is something there. But in terms of psychology, what we see is that people get and do what they focus on - they find proof for their stories. That's why advertising works. You see an ad for toothpaste over and over and pretty soon you're standing in your bathroom wondering how this this toothpaste you've never tried before got into your house.

Things that we imagine often come to pass - positive, negative or otherwise: because our brains are looking for them. Our brains are trained to find patterns and so the patterns you put into them is what you eventually find. It's why we seem to have similar relationships over and over - and that's part of why affirmations work. We tell our brains to look for certain ideas and hooks and it does. So I talked about affirmations and and how to write them, now is great time to review them if you haven't in a while.

In an ideal world you would have a Financial Map of Intentions - a review of what you've been spending and clear projections about what you intend to spend moving forward, month by month. That way you can review your monthly spending and make clear decisions in advance of financial crunches.

But that's not always possible and things change - so no sense in making yourself feel worse than you already do. In fact now is a great time to be grateful for your financial prowess - you see what's going on, you've come to look for support and now you're going to change it! Way to go!

So what to do about financial pressure right now?

If you're feeling pressured about money, the first thing to do is to take a deep breath. (And notice when the last time was that you did that.) Just take a moment to relax and come back into your body. Sometimes it takes a few breaths or more to come back - a walk outside in the fresh air, a hug, looking at something beautiful, a nice long, hot bath. But take that time - it's well worth it and really supports making sound decisions.

Second do a real assessment: are you in danger? What are the real dangers in this situation? Often we worry about financial pressures that might happen - in days, weeks and months from now. If those things aren't here, take another breath and notice that more than likely you really are safe right now.

Then create a plan. Not just for the crisis or thing that has come up that you're worried about, but look at the bigger picture. Decide what really wants to be done here - is this an obligation that you want to continue with? Is this mortgage something you can handle? What is coming up over the next few weeks that can effect this piece of your financial reality? And how can you effect positive change from right here.

Remember in creating change you want it to be in alignment with your values. So if you value ease, think about what you can do to bring more ease into this situation. How do you want to feel about this obligation and what can you do to bring more of that emotion into this situation?

Keep breathing and move gently focusing on staying home in your body and making positive changes that support the overall effort of your life. It might take time, but putting into place a plan for you financial success is well worth the effort.

Transforming Our Money Stories - November 21st!

2008-11-14T15:36:00.000-08:00

Come join us for a one-night experience of calling in money as an ally:

Transforming Money Stories

$ Do you want to make clear decisions about money?

$ Do you want to understand really belongs to you in your relationship with money?

$ Do you want to release all that financial tension you’re carrying?

There is so much floating around about money – especially recently in the financial crisis-that-is-not-a-crisis (or is it?) of our banking system: anxiety, fear and pain. This unease is a highlight of our issues with money. We have a substantial opportunity to release that right now with the shifting political climate, the openings in the economy and our ability to come together and heal our pain.

Come join us to explore how it can be different!

Friday, November 21^st, 2008

7:00 – 10:00 pm

SF location (given at registration)

Contribution: $75-30 sliding scale

Together we delve into the depths of our awareness. We explore our individual and collective stories and can come to a deeper level of choice - a more profound level of truth. We call in money as an ally instead of adversary, scapegoat or threat. Through awareness we choose to be in right relationship with money and release old expectations, stories and pain.

Your facilitators: April Taylor and Briana Cavanaugh

Movement, breath and flow are three things that inspire April Taylor. A Bay Area transplant from Los Angeles, she graduated from Mills College in 1997 with a BA in Women's Studies and Dance. As a Certified Sound Healer and expressive arts teacher, April will weave creativity and expression into our work around money. Guiding us to move into the flow of abundance and to hear empowerment in our new stories. She is a student teacher within the Reclaiming Community, and recently began working with Dancers' Group a dance advocacy organization in San Francisco.

Briana Cavanaugh is a financial coach, bookkeeping consultant and priestess with a background in non-traditional education, business analysis, ritual and personal growth work. She focuses her accounting and coaching work on the quadruple bottom line: people, purpose, planet, profits. She sees entrepreneurs, couples and non-profit clients in the San Francisco Bay Area. See www.infinitleypossible.net for more about Briana's work and philosophy.

To register or for more info contact Briana: briana@infinitelypossible.net or call: 510.282.1970.

Think and Grow Rich, Really?

2008-10-31T09:28:00.000-07:00

When I was a teenager I had a job doing telemarketing. I hated it. Calling people to "book appointments" was loathsome. I wanted to be doing anything else. So sometimes I would call in sick when all I wanted was to be doing something else, like hanging out with friends or finishing that homework project (yeah I was a bit of a goody-goody in high school).

But I'm not any good at lying. So in order to call in sick, I'd have to invoke being sick. Have a cough, exhaustion, etc. And in the half an hour to an hour it took me to work up the courage to call and tell that lie I would start to feel really sick. And then I really needed that rest I was asking for. A very mixed blessing in my 15 year old head.

That is the power of the mind combined with taking action.

Saying it can make it so (you believe it), acting on that information will make it so (you create it). As an example of how this works think of something you want that you know you're going to get. Like dinner - whether it's groceries, dining in a restaurant or fast food. Remember the last time you decided what to eat for dinner. How did you manifest that. You decide and know that you're going to get it. But you don't just know you're going to get it, you act on that information. If you didn't, likely you'd be very hungry quite often.

In reading "Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill he says decide what you want in detail and name what you're willing to do to get it. Then he instructs his reader to say that plan every day, morning and evening and act based on that plan.

That's the essence of working in alignment with your values.

Values, beliefs, truths, affirmations are all the same thing with different phrasing (and possibly different copyrights) but getting to the same basic idea and intention.

"Affirmations" affirm your path, ideas and being. If you really want to take that business to the next level that you know will require more than one, one-time action, it requires focus, drive and follow through. It takes being impeccable with your word and always doing your best.

It will take other things as well, depending on who you are, what your business idea or life path you desire and where you are now. Do you know what those things are? Do you know what qualities you need to invoke for your success?

That single-minded devotion to your dream takes tools to make it happen. Reminding yourself everyday of your dreams and supports you in making that happen - otherwise known as manifesting. In fact it's one of the keys in many personal growth systems. Don Miguel Ruiz in his book, "The Four Agreements Companion Book" says to make your own Book of Law which is about writing down what you believe about yourself and the world in order to create it. "Creating Money: Attracting Abundance" by Duane Packer and Sanaya Roman has affirmations throughout the book as a core practice of creating change. Doreen Virtue, PhD. includes affirmations in everything of hers that I've come across. And Suze Orman, "Financial Guidebook: Put the 9 Steps to Work" calls this same idea "creating new truths" and it's one of the first steps in her process.

Whether you call them beliefs, affirmations or truths, we're all getting at the same thing: affirming a positive present and acting on it.

In the first year of my business I doubled my income. I didn'tknow it, but I was using affirmations and integrity work. I kept saying to myself, "I'm making more money doing bookkeeping." And so I sought that out. Then it became true and set up a self-fulfilling prophecy. I went from making $1200 a month to $4000 a month in a year, freelancing, even when other people told me I was nuts. I began to expand into my skills and knowledge as a coach and counselor. They told me to go out and get a real job. But I am clear that I want to be doing something meaningful with my life: inspiring financial liberation. So I chose it, I affirmed it and I acted on it.

So why? The truth that I can find is that your mind manifests what you believe. The same is true of negative patterns. Have you ever spent the afternoon thinking about how fat you feel or how difficult things are? Have you found that things feel worse when you do that? It's the same idea. What you focus on you bring into being.

The deeper truth is that when you're planting your own seeds in your unconscious or conscious mind, it leaves less space for other, negative thoughts to get in there and have a field day of self destruction, defeat, or questioning self worth. Being active has the added bonus that it creates change much faster than passively receiving negative feedback. You've created your own willingness to have the change that you are intending. You are practicing having what you want.