From Underearning to Abundance

Do you know the answer to this question?  Many women look to their role models for the answer.  We all have some role models that we look up to and try to imitate.  What makes them our role models is different for each and everyone.  For many women it is the quality of showing passion and being able to take care of others.  And also being taken care of by others.  This is the image of the great maternal figure that nurtures the family and is taken care of financially by the great paternal breadwinner.

As I have mentioned in my previous blogs this is what we have been taught to admire.  The story was that the women that are good at taking care of others are worth the most.  Centuries ago this was very important for women’s survival as their value was measured according to their care giving abilities.  It was said that no man would leave a good caregiver.

The old days are gone and the story was just that a story, even though it affected women directly.  In today’s world, women have to care of themselves.  People can be grateful for the things that you do for them.  But, and this is a big but, you still have to take care of yourself.  Unfortunately, the stories haven’t changed much since the old days.  What has changed really drastically is reality.  In this new reality you have to take care of yourself and to do so you have to know what you need and want.

To be able to realize what your needs and wants are you have to ignore all of those voices that keep on telling you that you shouldn’t ask for too much.  How will it serve you to ask for less for yourself?  The people that you feel will think less of you if you do ask for more will not be there to see the results.  These kinds of people are not good for you.  Other people will be pissed at you for not taking care of yourself.  People that really care for you will always want the best for you.

Now when you ask yourself what you need and want, what will your answer be? Think about how your answer will help you start living a Life of Abundance.  This is the life you want to live.  So, what is you answer to this question?

Love and peace,

ElinAnna

Tags: Life of abundance, needs, role model, wants, women

Eleven months ago the year 2009 was just about to start.  What were your intentions for 2009?  Did you have any New Year’s resolutions?  So many people make New Year’s resolutions and they start working on them in the New Year.  Unfortunately the New Year soon becomes old and those resolutions fall by they wayside.  If you did make resolutions or some kind of decision about changing things in your life, what were they and how has it been to accomplish them?

Even though quitting smoking and healthy living, like dieting and exercise, are the most popular resolutions or lifestyle decisions for the New Year, changing their money situation is something many underearners plan on doing.  They all have different ideas about how to accomplish that.  Often it has to do with keeping track of every cent they spend, not to overdraw their checking account and so on.  Then there are those who are not going to let money ruin any more years of their lives and simply ignore money all together, with the mindset that it will all work itself out somehow.

Tackling the money problem is not easy, especially if you don’t change the way you view money.  Having a love/hate relationship with money, where the hate is the dominating factor, is not going to be very helpful.  Having negative feelings towards someone never results in a good relationship.  I know that I would never like to stay with someone who had very negative feelings towards me.  So it is no wonder money doesn’t stay.  Would you?  The the important part in getting out of this vicious cycle of underearning is to change your view of money.  Then you can start moving toward a Life of Abundance in the New Year.

Love and peace,

ElinAnna

Tags: Abundance, money, New Year, relationship, resolution, underearner, underearning

What is there to give thanks for?  The economy is horrible.  People are losing their homes and livelihoods left and right.  And then there is the flu, the swine flu.  Sometimes it feels like it couldn’t be worse.

Well it was worse when the first Thanksgiving happened.  Even though the pilgrims’ first year had been good the second one was not so good.  On top of that they had to share food with newcomers, which resulted in food shortage.  During the 3rd year there was a drought in New England, which start in the spring and resulted in crops dying in the field.  It didn’t rain until fall.  To celebrate the return of the rain the governor proclaimed a day of thanksgiving on November 29th.  Even though they hadn’t solved their food shortage they still could give thanks for the good things that were happening in their lives.

So what are you thankful for this season?

In my home we are thankful for the good people around us that give us so much joy.  We are grateful for all the opportunities we have and we are grateful for each other.  I could keep on and on, but what about you?  What are you grateful for?

Being grateful helps us live a Life of Abundance.

Love and peace,

ElinAnna

Tags: Abundance, economy, give thanks, swine flu, Thanksgiving

In my last blog I talked about how role models have changed and how the media often does not focus on women’s strengths, but rather on their looks.  For example the First Lady is a strong and accomplished woman and can be great role model, but that is not what the media talks about.  Still, girls have role models other the ones in the media.  Role models that are closer to home like parents, teachers, and coaches.  For me it was my mother.  She was born a long time ago in a different world.  The Iceland she was born in, subsistence farming was still fact of life for many and people were struggling to stay alive.  It was a hard world.  She was one of 11 siblings.  There wasn’t much money for anything, like food and clothes, and even less for education.  She and her siblings had to start working at an early age.

It was obvious that she had stamina to keep on going when things were against her, like her mother before her.  I learned that you keep on going no matter what.  My mother showed me what persistence and perseverance can accomplish.

Another role model was my mother’s cousin.  She became an internist when women didn’t become doctors.  She was the breadwinner of her family.  When I was a child I was going to do the same.  Life took me in another direction, but I did get my masters degree and I dared to be different from what was expected of me.

My mother died some years ago at ripe age of 86 and her cousin died last year from cancer.  It is strange to not have my role models with me today, but I am thankful for the inspiration they gave me through the years and are still giving.  Helping me on my path to a Life of Abundance.

Love and peace,

ElinAnna

Tags: different, First Lady, Life of abundance, role models, women