For Perfectionists Only...NOT!

When you were a kid did you find lots of money on the ground? I did. I would find pennies and quarters and dollar bills and fivers. I loved finding money. It made my day. It didn’t matter how much I found: a penny was as exciting as a five-dollar bill. The point was that I had found a secret surprise, a gift just for me.

It never crossed my mind that, in order for me to find it, someone must have lost it. I was truly in a space of receptivity, welcoming the found money as a gift from the Universe. It had been left there for ME. I was supposed to find it. I never questioned the “rightness” of the situation.

But somewhere along the way to adulthood, something changed. The concept of cause and effect entered my awareness and, when I found money, I began to consider who might have lost it, how it might have affected them, and whether it was “right” for me to keep it.

The familiar child’s taunt of “finders keepers, losers weepers,” would enter my thoughts and I would wonder who was weeping over this money. How could I be happy about finding a dollar when it meant that somewhere, someone else, perhaps at that very moment, was opening their wallet and realizing they had lost it? It took much of the enjoyment out of the experience.

And as finding money became less fun, I began finding less of it. Makes sense. If I didn’t find money, I wouldn’t have to confront the questions about finders and losers, right and wrong.

We humans are very good at creating filters to our perception. When finding money was no longer fun for me, I created a perceptual filter that screened out my awareness of money on the ground. If there was a quarter on the sidewalk, the visual information still entered my eyes, but because finding money now brought up uncomfortable questions, my brain created a “program” that filtered out information about “money on the ground” before it entered my conscious awareness.

Unfortunately, this programming had more widespread effects. You see, my brain, while it tries to be helpful, is not very intelligent. In its attempt to be helpful my brain made the somewhat logical deduction that if I didn’t want to find money on the ground I must not want to find money in other places either. So my helpful little brain expanded the filtering program to include other areas of income, not just spare change on the ground, filtering them out before they entered my awareness.

As you can imagine, this is not good!

Recently, I’ve had the good fortune - literally - of receiving some lessons that have helped me shift my resistance to “finding” money, on the ground, and elsewhere. My most effective teacher has been my daughter. As she has begun walking around she seems to have inherited my dormant ability to find money on the ground. Every time she finds a penny on the sidewalk she does her happy “jiggy jiggy” dance. She knows that it’s one more penny that she can toss into the fountain. Yeah! Her enthusiasm seems to be contagious and, whether I’m with Ella or not, I now find myself actively looking for money on the ground.

The other lessons came from two of my “virtual” mentors, Wayne Dyer and T. Harv Eker. They both write about how they joyfully and gratefully bend down to pick up every penny they see. And keep in mind that these are not poor guys we’re talking about here!

For them there is no shame in it. Nor is there a sense of guilt at another’s misfortune. Rather, by acknowledging every financial blessing, regardless of how seemingly insignificant, they let the Universe know that they are open to receiving more of those blessings.

When it comes to finding money on the ground, here’s what Wayne Dyer has to say in his book, The Power of Intention.“Every time I see a coin on the street, I stop, pick it up, put it into my pocket, and say out loud, 'Thank you, God, for this symbol of abundance that keeps flowing into my life.' Never once have I asked, 'Why only a penny, God? You know I need a lot more than that.'"

T. Harv Eker’s advice, in Secrets of the Millionaire Mind is a bit more lighthearted, but no less effective. When he finds money on the ground, he picks it up and says out loud, “Yes! I am a money magnet. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Either way, the effect is the same. If you turn your nose up at a penny, the Universe assumes that you’re not interested in money and when it’s time to dole out the next batch of monetary gifts it just passes you by, since you don’t seem to really want it anyway.

If, on the other hand, you pick up that penny and jump up and down and shout your gratitude for the gift, the Universe will definitely hear you and get the message. And you’ll be first in line for that next batch of financial blessings. By welcoming these small, seemingly insignificant financial gifts and showing your appreciation you make space for more and bigger gifts.

I’ve started to return to that childlike place around finding money. I catch myself looking for money as I walk down the street. Whenever I see some money on the ground, it doesn’t matter if it’s a nickel or a dime or a penny, I pick it up and give thanks for the gift the Universe has just provided me. I’m beginning to remember how fun it was, as a child, to spend time on treasure hunts – looking for money on the ground.

If you find yourself feeling embarrassed about picking up money on the ground try this. Take a little kid for a walk. Borrow one - with permission please - if you don’t have your own. Two to six years old is about right. Tell the child that you’re going on a treasure hunt, looking for money. And whenever you find money see how excited both of you can get. Trust me, it’s contagious! And somehow, when you’re with a kid, it’s ok to pick up money and make a big deal out of it.

Well, it’s really always ok to pick up money, but doing it with a kid makes it more fun, and “acceptable.”

So your mission, this month, is to be on a money hunt, to look for the wealth, to see how much money you can find on the ground, and in other unexpected and surprising places.

Good luck!

Let me know how you do. Leave a comment over at the Evolving Times Blog. I’d also love to hear about your past money finding experiences. Do you like finding money? Did you find more money as a kid? What’s the most money you ever found? How did it make you feel?

Edward Mills, MIM, is a Law of Attraction Coach, teacher and speaker, empowering people to create an awesome life. You can sign up for his monthly complimentary ezine, Evolving Times, and recieve a valuable Attraction Starter Kit, at his website: http://www.edwardmills.com. You can also read more at his blog: http://www.evolvingtimes.com