Financial Freedom, What’s The Holdup? By Amy McKenzie
Financial freedom. It is a term bandied about continuously in the profession of Network Marketing. In fact, it is a promise of this industry. So why doesn’t everyone achieve it? Today we will analyze this question and provide three steps to creating a roadmap for leading a life you love.
When we consider ‘financial freedom’ can you think of anyone who would not benefit or outright doesn’t want it? I’ve heard people say in defense of lack, “I don’t need much,” as though financial freedom only pertains to material things. In fact, time and choice are the greatest returns of financial freedom. If you knew that correct action could give you more time with your loved ones and the ability to choose how that time was spent, would it not be worth whatever sacrifices it took to achieve it? Is there really anyone who would not appreciate having a say in how their life goes? So what’s the holdup? Why do so many of us pretend financial security is not important to us?
Perhaps there is an underlying misconception many of us share; that it is easier to deny our desires than to risk the failure of not achieving them. This act of denial causes people to close the curtain on their dreams and quietly suffer a life they do not love.
So the question becomes, how can we get underneath the myth and dig into our subconscious terrain?
A great place to start is by ‘telling one’ on ourselves as I like to say. Admitting that things are not measuring up to what we had envisioned for ourselves. This may sound overly simple, yet how many of us are pretending to be satisfied with our circumstances when the reality is we are resigned about them?
Frank authenticity opens the door to investigating our belief systems. Those deep-seated, long-held ideas that may be holding us back from achieving our goals. The ones we no longer question.
Once we get a handle on what has been holding us back, we have the freedom to begin identifying what drives us forward. So let’s dig in.
Step One… We cannot begin a journey until we admit there is somewhere we need to go. Great, now what?
Everyone knows simply declaring what we want does not have it magically appear before us. This is a good thing, particularly if you are fond of, say, elephants. They are intelligent and kind yes, however, rather inconvenient if upon thinking ‘elephant’ you look up and find one standing in your living room. Thank goodness everything we wish for does not suddenly appear. Yet why doesn’t it? There is likely a missing quotient in our equation for manifestation. Let’s take a mundane example. Most of us have experienced being so rushed we ‘see’ the parking spot we need out front and lo’ and behold, someone pulls away just in time. Why? There is a simple explanation, at these times, the only thing that occurs to us is what we need, not what is possible. We believe. This tends to happen easily with things we don’t consider “important.” When it really matters to us, we often crash headlong into our belief systems.
Step Two…. Change your point of view; change your reality. The place to start when analyzing our belief systems is to investigate our underlying thought processes.
Like a private investigator working to uncover a mystery, we begin by asking questions. What did my parents tell me about money? What did I learn from the people around me? What do I tell myself about people with money or who spend their lives acquiring wealth?
When there is a disparity between our desires and what we believe, it can cause a personal dilemma. If our desire for financial success becomes confused with our concept of who we are as people we can experience a downright identity crisis. As an artist, I wrestled between who I was committed to being and the kind of person I imagined I would be if I pursued wealth. It was like looking out over the Grand Canyon, seeing what I wanted yet, because of my belief system, being incapable of crossing that great divide. In the process of defining my boundaries, I had inadvertently gotten my wires crossed by interpreting the pursuit of higher income as tainted. The recurring questions, “Is it possible to be a ‘good person’ when one is focused on making money? Isn’t money bad?” were like silent dream stealers. We all know money itself does not determine integrity, our actions, coupled with our intention, is all that matters. Yet these unexamined ideas can determine the very quality of our lives.
Step two requires more than simply analyzing our belief systems, we must also be willing to surrender beliefs. We have a choice, accept our inherited concepts or create a new perspective. And if an outmoded belief system is all that stands between us and leading a life we love, isn’t it worth the mental discipline needed to redirect our thinking?
The act of surrendering leads unerringly to our final step.
Step Three… It appears evident that the idea of financial freedom, in and of itself, is not persuasive enough to incite action or inspire mental discipline. First, we must discover what we desire most and then commit with every cell in our being to that outcome. How do we do that? There’s only one way and it is not comfortable.
The most effective tool for extracting what lays hidden is to be authentic about how things are now and how we really want them to be. We must dig down and unearth the layers we have so carefully constructed to protect ourselves. Most of us are so afraid of finding the skeletons in our personal closet we will avoid looking at all costs. Yet what we should truly fear is getting to the end of our lives without having done so.
There is a common denominator that rules our days and our choices, and that is fear. No matter the ‘flavor’ it is always the same, fear blocks our vision of what is possible. And there is only one way to confront what frightens us, no matter how uncomfortable, we must go ‘down the rabbit hole’ and embrace each layer of what makes us who we are. Uncovering what lies beneath the surface, our true passion is what gives us the courage to overcome that fear, and the ultimate obstacle, ourselves. Once we become clear about our goals we can create a pathway for attaining wealth that is a match for who we are now, grounded in a vision of who we wish to become. Only then can we begin to truly create.
Put on that miner’s hat, dig in, venture beyond the edges of comfort, move some rocks around, you may even find a boulder blocking the memory of what you once believed was possible. There’s a treasure hidden inside those old dreams just waiting to break out. If we can get our hearts and minds around these three simple steps; admitting we want financial freedom; aligning our belief system, and finding the courage to unearth our dreams, we will have a foundation for achieving the kind of wealth that goes beyond dollars and cents. We will have access to leading a life we love.
So, what do you want most in life, what is your legacy and by the way, what’s the holdup?
Amy's lifetime involvement in the theater offered her many opportunities to study with some of the industry's greatest directors, performers and teachers. Her formal education includes the Masters Program at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco and the Film Certificate Program as a Teaching Assistant at UCLA. Her career spans four decades and includes venues from off-Broadway to television, National Tours to Summer Stock. Over the years Miss McKenzie has worked professionally as a producer, director, founding artistic director, writer, actor, professor and coach.
From an early age Amy pursued a passion for personal development, studying a multitude of disciplines from survival techniques to professional leadership training. The degree of her development is evident in her success as a speaker, business owner and transformational coach.
Loving all things natural, Amy has committed a great deal of time to the study of traditional and alternative healing. Miss McKenzie is also a licensed HeartMath practitioner and holds certifications in various alternative healing modalities including Reiki, Energy Restructuring and Rebirthing and as a Therapeutic Masseuse.
Her commitment to furthering the well-being of others is demonstrated by the number of lives she has touched and the contribution she has made as an independent distributor, leader, trainer and presenter for Zija International.
When asked, Amy cites her most cherished accomplishment as having provided significant opportunities for her brilliantly gifted daughter, Valia O’Donnell, to fully live a life she loves.
Making a difference, one person at a time, is Amy’s driving force.
From an early age Amy pursued a passion for personal development, studying a multitude of disciplines from survival techniques to professional leadership training. The degree of her development is evident in her success as a speaker, business owner and transformational coach.
Loving all things natural, Amy has committed a great deal of time to the study of traditional and alternative healing. Miss McKenzie is also a licensed HeartMath practitioner and holds certifications in various alternative healing modalities including Reiki, Energy Restructuring and Rebirthing and as a Therapeutic Masseuse.
Her commitment to furthering the well-being of others is demonstrated by the number of lives she has touched and the contribution she has made as an independent distributor, leader, trainer and presenter for Zija International.
When asked, Amy cites her most cherished accomplishment as having provided significant opportunities for her brilliantly gifted daughter, Valia O’Donnell, to fully live a life she loves.
Making a difference, one person at a time, is Amy’s driving force.
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