Finances & Abundance

When it comes to this version of the human experience, we have adopted the practice of using money as a means of determining value and exchanging energy via goods and services. It’s another tool that humans made up for convenience and standardization. There was at least 1 year of travel where I didn’t do any paid work just to prove that I didn’t need money to live. In that year, I worked on my relationship with it. Similar to the phone, social media, and other things in our lives, I needed a detox. I needed to step away to observe it and understand it more.

For the last few years, I’ve only made money when I needed it and now, I feel ready to call in a different form of financial abundance.

Calling it in

Calling in financial abundance is pretty easy, but the practice of choosing the right method to receive it might take time to fine tune. For me, once I’ve decided to open myself up to receive (anything, but in this case, money), I drop into meditation to seek guidance about the way to receive. Sometimes, my intuition prompts me to make no changes and spontaneously, someone might send a large gift. Other times, my intuition prompts me to put my energy towards one project or another and that leads me to a person or a job or a something that results in me getting exactly what I opened myself up to receive.

Calling it in with pure intention is the first step. Listening to the right next action is next. The combination of these two things lead to the spontaneous fulfillment of dreams and desires with the least amount of effort possible.

Multiple Sources of Income

Something I discovered after having my first full time job was that working full time wasn’t for me. I felt much more satisfied with multiple jobs than just having one. When I was a teen, I did various volunteer and paid jobs such as coaching soccer, teaching dance, reffing soccer games (badly), volunteering as a tutor, and working in after school care. As an undergrad, I worked in after school care and at various restaurants. As a graduate student, I felt the most balanced with intellectually stimulating classes, a tutoring job, and an influential graduate assistantship in student affairs. 

When I started working my first full time job, I thought that I finally made it. I was contracted from 7 am until 3 pm, but often stayed later. The commute was 30 minutes one way and I couldn’t help but feel like life was being sucked out of me. I loved working with the kids and creating engaging lessons, but throughout the day, there was never a break. We had lunch with the students and our planning period was meant for meetings and work. I missed the fresh air and seeing the sun. I felt overwhelmed by how much energy was put into one place. Now, I’m committed to a multiple sources of income approach and this feels true for me.

Now, I’ve divided my workload into three categories: stimulating, simple, and creative.

My stimulating work is with Intentional Steps. It’s in the blog, the podcast, the newsletters, and the mindfulness coaching. My simple work is teaching English online through Cambly. This takes no effort and little planning. My creative work is in writing books and selling stories to literary magazines. Also, occasionally selling a piece of art.

It’s taken a few years of trial and error to get to this place. I credit volunteer opportunities and playing with different jobs for the clarity that I have now. I know exactly how I want to arrange my workload and am happy to do that. Whether I’m compensated in the form of money or a trade doesn’t matter, I’ve decided that multiple sources of income is essential for me to live a healthy, balanced, and prosperous life.

Passive Sources of Income

Something I want to get more into are passive sources of income. This is the way to maximize your time and energy. This is the spare bedroom you rent out during high season or the money you invest in crypto. This is the money you make when you’re asleep. Passive income usually requires an investment upfront in the form of time or money, but once they’re established, I’ve heard that maintaining them is minimal and rewarding.

Right now, I feel like my newsletters and books are passive income sources. I published my first book, The Art of Having Nothing: A story about trusting yourself, in 2023. Though it’s not making me a millionaire, occasionally, someone buys a book and it’s like magic to see the payout appear in my account because I haven’t actively done anything. 

My newsletters, podcast, and wisdom of the week take effort, but these were things I’ve been doing for free for the last few years. That means that when someone subscribes, it feels like passive income in a way… I know it’s technically not, but because I already made space for this form of sharing, it doesn’t feel like work to me.

I have to do more research on investments; but for the purpose of this article, I just wanted to invite you to consider passive sources of income. Ask questions and play. Have fun with it. Life is meant to be enjoyed. 

Only do it if you love it

I know that some of you will disagree. Some of you will argue that you have bills to pay and mouths to feed, but honestly, what kind of world would we live in if we only did work that we were happy and willing to do?

We all get to choose. Generally, most people are willing to say yes to a job they don’t enjoy for the convenience of a stable income… I don’t understand this. I don’t get it because most of the time, this choice leads to suffering in some form or another. I firmly believe that there is enough peace, love, and joy to go around if we’re only willing to let it in.

I can only speak from personal experience. Currently, I’m at the beginning of making money again. It’s been 4 years of prioritizing peace and mental health. Money was a small blip on my radar. I know I don’t yet have the financial evidence to prove to you that this works, but believe me. I know because I’ve experienced abundance in the form of peace and love, a currency that I didn’t believe was real until recently.

Say yes to the comfortable yeses and say no to everything else.

Lifestyle Choices

I suppose the last thing I want to throw out there about finances and abundance is that it should align with the kind of lifestyle we want to live. For me, I’ve chosen to live a nomadic and carefree life which means online and seasonal work is ideal for me. I regularly take weeks or months off at a time to be in nature and no one is mad. This works for me. This aligns with me. This work supports the life that I want to live. I am happy. What type of work supports the lifestyle of your dreams? If you’re not living that life, what’s holding you back?

In Conclusion

We can’t control most things that happen in our lives, but this much, we can. Choose peace. Choose love. Choose joy. Believe in abundance. 

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