Wouldn't it be great to instill in myself the urge toward wealth? What if I instinctually made choices every day that propelled me toward a complete and total wealth experience?
There are many things that I instinctually do. I instinctually brush my teeth everyday. I instinctually bathe and clothe myself everyday. I instinctually eat healthy food everyday.
These are all very good habits. But, what about those habits that are not so good? Hmmm...let's see...one of my favorite indulgences is Diet Dr. Pepper. Recently, I realized that when I get in my car, I instinctually feel the urge to stop by a convenience store and buy a Diet Dr. Pepper. It doesn't matter how far I'm going or where I'm going. Whenever I get in the car, I feel that urge and I often act on it.
I first noticed this compulsion (and that's the best way I know how to describe it: a compulsion) after I followed David Bach's advice and identified my latte factor. To avoid embarrassment, I won't reveal the size of my latte factor. But, let's just say, my latte factor gives me more than enough cash to play the stock market daily.
Where did I pick up this habit? How long have I been compulsively buying Diet Dr. Peppers whenever I get in my car?
As a child, we didn't keep unhealthy snacks in the house. My mom was adamant about only keeping fruit and other healthy items in the house. But, as a treat, she would stop by the local convenience store and allow us to buy a soda or other treat on our way home from school.
Twenty+ years later, I instinctually buy "a treat" from the local convenience store. I don't keep snacks in the house but every time I get in my car, I allow myself "a treat." Over the years, the "treat" has changed. It's gone from a bag of M&Ms to chips to granola bars to sodas to diet sodas. But, while the treats are healthier, I still get "a treat" every time.
As I thought about it further, I realized that the compulsion wasn't so much for a Diet Dr. Pepper, as it was a compulsion to buy a treat from a local convenience store. For example, I've gone "cold turkey" before on sodas, but that didn't stop me from buying "a treat" from the convenience store. So, instead of sodas, I bought a pack of sugar-free gum.
I talked to one of my brothers the other day and learned that he does the same thing. He and a co-worker were readying for a road trip. Before they left, my brother hopped over to the local convenience store to load up on snacks. When his friend didn't buy anything, he asked him, "don't you want something for the road?" And, the friend responded, "Naw, I don't need it."
We laughed about how, as adults, we habitually do things we learned to do as children. Unknowingly, our parents instilled in us the idea of buying snacks from a convenience store as a daily treat. Now, as adults, we spend a significant amount of money in convenience stores without even thinking about it.
What if we had that same compulsion toward wealth that we have toward buying a snack? The Money Poems as a 7-day program is a tool that we did not discover until we were all adults and it has changed our family tremendously. But, how differently would our lives look if we had built a wealth mindset since we were children?
Everyday, for so many years, we went to the local convenience store to buy a treat. What if, everyday, for so many years, we recited the poem of the day?
The payoff of a daily ritual is powerful.
What do you do on a daily basis? Which of your daily habits were given to you as a child? Do those habits serve you? What if you chose a new habit and persisted with it everyday? What kind of payoff could you expect in 1 year? 5 years? 10 years? 20 years?
Over time, the things we do most often are the habits that become a part of our subconscious behavior. Eventually, we say things like "It's just who I am."
Today, you can begin to build an urge toward wealth. Every day, over an extended period of time, you can gently suggest to yourself that wealth is your birthright. Put reminders around you that communicate that unlimited wealth exists for you. Get a daily set of affirmations and habits that remind you that unlimited wealth is within your grasp.
Remember, I don't have to think about going to a convenience store to buy "a treat." I've been doing it for 20 years. It's automatic behavior for me now. No one beat this concept into me. Rather, it was gently suggested every day over an extended period of time.
Spiritual practitioner, educator, storyteller and expert author Denise Allen is the curator/author of the bestselling "The Money Poems," an extraordinary set of lyrical instructions that were simply created to put anyone who recites them on a path to financial freedom. For more information on Denise Allen or The Money Poems, please visit http://www.themoneypoems.com. This article may be reprinted provided the author's name and URL are included and no changes are made to the text.
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