"The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors; that which it loves, and also that which it fears; it reaches the height of its cherished aspirations; it falls to the level of its unchastened desires; and circumstances are the means by which the soul receives its own." ~James Allen, As A Man Thinketh.

Our thoughts create feelings, and those feelings shape the reality we live in.

Fear is natural—but it can be overcome. The feeling of fear can be dismissed.

Do you fear bills? What if I told you that when you put too much emotional energy into that fear, you actually attract more bills? They may come as car repairs, medical expenses, or mounting debt—but whatever form they take, they will be drawn to you.

Do you love peaceful family time? Do you love it more than you fear stress? Which of those two do you experience more?

As we learn and live by the laws that govern prosperity, we begin to see just how much God’s hand moves in everything around us. God is a God of order, and this is an orderly universe. What sometimes looks like randomness or chaos in our lives is not random at all. When we understand and follow these laws, we can expect our lives to leap forward into greater prosperity.

"The Young and the Thoughtless!" ...It Wasn't the Dream

If you missed the first two parts of this new series, start here.

Here’s Part 3 of The Young and the Thoughtless.

From the last segment:

“…We came home from the conference with a lighter attitude toward our struggles, and a firm resolve to never miss another opportunity for personal growth. The facts didn’t change, our income hadn’t changed either, but our outlook had definitely been altered. And that was only the beginning! To see how quickly we could regress, be sure to watch future posts for the next installments of “The Young and the Thoughtless.”

Coming home from that first weekend, Trevan and I were determined to build our business fast. By day, we worked supporting people with disabilities and went to school part-time. By night, we promoted our business, talking to as many people as we could. In fact, my first labor contractions started during a presentation.

Every month, we attended seminars for tips and motivation. Every month, we returned more committed.

After my first son was born, I quit working. We had decided early that I’d stay home once kids arrived, even though we were already financially stretched. We pinned all our hopes on our leaders’ support and the monthly seminars. But after a year of sinking deeper into debt, Trevan was laid off.

Suddenly, we had no choice but to put our son in daycare so I could find temp work to help keep us afloat.

I remember dropping him off early in the dark, picking him up late in the dark—it all matched the despair inside me. Trevan eventually found work at a garage and was rehired at the gun-safe company. Meanwhile, I landed part-time math teaching at a junior high.

Through it all, we squeezed in business work when we could. We were told $2,000/month was possible with 15 presentations monthly. We felt busy but were only managing 4 or 5 presentations, blaming ourselves for the slow pace.

We thought maybe if we could get excited enough, we’d be out there constantly. We remembered how we’d done exciting things before—effortlessly. When we loved a dream, we naturally did what it took.

Think about courting your spouse, if you’re married…

You didn’t need monthly seminars to make time or keep them in your thoughts. You thought of them constantly! Slept less if you had to. Planned ways to nurture your growing relationship. You were joyful and excited at the possibility of forever.

But how do you develop that same passion and enthusiasm for a business idea? Or a lifestyle you’ve never lived?

That was our struggle. Can you relate?

After three years of business busy-ness, I journaled:

June 14, 1995

“I know all it would take is for us both to get excited—naturally—the way we have with other things. That’s why we’re told to get a vivid dream, else the work is wasted. But after three years, we still haven’t found anything to light that fire. I’m sick of forcing a dream! Can we please be given one strong enough to make us effective? Something to excite us whenever we think of it? Something right for us... something that inspires sleepless nights and motivates us to grow… We’ve tried to fake it for so long.”

I prayed hard, and after another weekend seminar, I envisioned making a large sum of money to donate to Primary Children’s Medical Center, where my second son had heart surgery at 4 days old. That desire burned strong, and I knew it was worthy.

A month later I wrote:

July 23, 1995

“Why am I so weak? I don’t know why I find it so hard to stay committed. I still believe in my goal, but doubt my ability to change habits permanently. I’m happy when I set goals and hit them, but I’m so fallible. I do well briefly, then fall harder. I’m discouraged. I try not to blame myself—it’s too easy to get depressed. I want to excel…

The schedule I made lasted a week. By the end, I’d forgotten why it was good. What happened to the dream to give the hospital money? Where is that power now? Motivation has to be bigger than obstacles… so why do my little obstacles feel so huge? I used to tackle challenges and stay focused until conquered. What drove me? Why do I feel so average now?”

If only I knew then what I know now about the seven laws of prosperity. I had an idea of what I needed, but not how to get it—the vision, dream, motivation. What I lacked was knowledge. It took five more years before I gained it. I learned I needed to understand how the universe works, so when I lost faith in myself, I could lean on universal laws.

I’m not constant, but the laws are. I needed something outside myself to rely on.

Yes, I rely on God—but what does that mean if I don’t understand His laws? Without that, I might think,

“Oh well, God didn’t want me to prosper anyway.”

Once I hit rock bottom with discouragement and knew I could only go up, things slowly changed. Blessings came disguised. Things seemed worse before better. But it was all part of our path to deliverance.

Stay tuned for the next episode of The Young and The Thoughtless to see how something seemingly worse became the best thing that happened!

The lessons without the story—taught over eight years—are in the book Hidden Treasures: Heaven's Astonishing Help with Your Money Matters. This wisdom costs far less than our “tuition”: eight years and about $40,000 in debt, plus lost income. Save yourself time and money—learn it now!

"THERE IS A SCIENCE OF GETTING RICH, and it is an exact science, like algebra or arithmetic. There are certain laws which govern the process of acquiring riches, and once these laws are learned and obeyed by anyone, that person will get rich with mathematical certainty." ~Wallace D. Wattles, The Science of Getting Rich.

If you’re ready for a life-changing program... if this story resonates and you want to finally make a breakthrough... if you’ve already invested thousands in education but want real, applicable wisdom... then I highly recommend the Family Time & Money Freedom program (our Mindset Mastery course). Find out more at www.schooloflifemastery.com.

Click below to enjoy the next episode of The Young and The Thoughtless...

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