Slide Into Your New Reality

Did you ever see the TV show Sliders?

In that show a group of four people would “slide” through a portal between dimensions, spending each episode in an alternate version of earth. For example, they might enter a reality where the Nazis won WWII. Or in another reality one of them might be a famous performer.

Another TV show that can give you the right idea is Quantum Leap. In that show a man spent each episode in someone else’s body in an alternative time and place.

Imagine you’re a Slider or a Quantum Leaper, and you just slid through a portal into your new desired reality — into that new YOU as well. You’re already there living it. The whole reality already exists in some alternate dimension, and you’re now experiencing it as real.

Put yourself in the shoes of that new person. Witness through his/her eyes how s/he goes through a typical day. Imagine that you’re in an episode of Sliders or Quantum Leap.

What time do you get up in the morning? Who’s sleeping next to you? Where are you? How do you feel? What do you eat for breakfast? What do you do in the morning, afternoon, and evening?

You must imagine yourself as already being there. You want to reach the point where it feels natural and normal to be there. After all, this is your reality, isn’t it? So of course it will feel normal in a way. You’re already used to it.

Initially the Sliders/Leapers were freaked out when they entered the new reality. It took them a while to figure it out and understand it. Eventually they got used to it and were able to get things done within that reality.

This is what will happen when you visualize a new reality for yourself. At first it may seem like an alien environment. You’ll have to play around with it for a while before you get used to it and it starts to seem normal to you. It’s very important that you push beyond that freak-out phase. You must shift from thinking about your visions as FANTASY to seeing them as REAL.

A good movie to watch is Being John Malkovich. That will give you more insight into how to slip into an alternate reality and imagine life through the lens of your new character.

Ideally, visualizing your future should be very much the same as remembering your past. Just as you would recall and mentally review what you did yesterday, that’s how you want to imagine your new reality. What are the highlights of your typical day, and how do you feel about them?

Notice that emotional memories are much stronger than routine events. Such memories can draw the past back into your present, but they can also draw a powerful future into your present if you create powerful new memories of the future.

Partial Visualization

One of the most common mistakes people make is that they fall into the trap of doing partial visualizations. They only imagine one or two aspects of their new reality but not the entire big picture. Or they’ll imagine something that makes them feel a certain way, but it wouldn’t actually be a part of their desired reality.

For example, you may imagine seeing a pile of cash on your table and counting the bills. A lot of people suggest this exercise as a way of manifesting more money. I think it’s a lame idea though.

If you really had financial abundance, would you actually have a pile of cash currency in your home? That seems unlikely. If you were already living it, playing with your money or obsessing over it would be silly and immature. That’s the sort of thing someone would do only if they weren’t already living it.

Partial visualizations manifest partial results. You may attract part of what you want, but it will be unstable because you’ve only locked on to some, but not all, of the necessary frequencies required to shift into that new reality. You may be able to visit it briefly, but you won’t be able to stay long.

When I was around 24-25 years old, I read the book Think and Grow Rich, and I started doing partial visualization exercises to attract more money into my life. I imagined having about half a million dollars as a pile of cash on my bed. I felt the texture of the bills with my fingers. I saw it as very real and imagined what it would feel like to have that much cash all at once.

Sometime after that (I don’t recall how long — a few months maybe), I entered into a new game publishing deal with a total advance of $675,000. I soon received the first installment in the form of a check for $50,000, which was the biggest check I’d ever received at that point in my life. It appeared that my intention had manifested.

However, this situation was incredibly unstable. The publisher turned out to be extremely corrupt. First, they screwed up the deal with seemingly insane delays and nonsensical decisions. Then they unilaterally breached our contract. And finally they tried to sue me (unsuccessfully) to recoup the $50K advance. Looking back, it appears that their goal was to tie up my team’s project so that it wouldn’t hit the market… while they had another team developing a potentially competing game. The initial $50K I received was spent on early development for a game that was never released. In the end I was left with a busted project and more debt than when I started. If I could have afforded the legal fees (which I couldn’t at the time), I may have been able to successfully sue them for breach of contract, but that simply wasn’t how I wanted to do business. I wanted to spend my time making games, not giving depositions.

Years later this same publisher was publicly exposed for a massive accounting scandal, and the company and several officers were sued by the SEC. If I recall correctly, their CEO was fined $10 million and had to step down. That came as no surprise to me and many other developers who worked with them.

Not a good manifestation!

Although it seemed promising in the beginning, this attempt to manifest money completely imploded and left me worse off than when I started — aside from learning some very tough lessons, which in retrospect turned out to be quite valuable.

I hope you can learn from my mistakes here and not succumb to the trap of partial visualization. In order to manifest your desires, you need to lock on to the total package of frequencies and the full range of emotions that you’ll experience in your new reality. And one of the best ways to do that is to get really, really clear about what you want.

Complete Visualization

Don’t just visualize one small part of your new reality, such as having more money come to you. Visualize the entire alternate reality you wish to enter, in as much detail as possible.

It’s okay to focus on one area of your life at a time. I personally find it rather difficult to visualize a whole new life for myself that covers career, finances, health, relationships, my daily habits, spiritual development, personal development, etc. So I generally focus on one area at a time, but I do my best to make sure it’s congruent with my desires in other areas too.

A few years ago I focused on creating financial abundance. Then I worked on social abundance (having lots of friends). Now I’m working on intimacy abundance (creating deeper relationships). All of these parts of my life are working beautifully right now. This process definitely works. Sometimes it works so well it scares me a bit.

Career and finances are good areas to visualize together since most people generate income via their careers. Don’t just imagine yourself having more money. Put in some detail about what is sustaining that flow of money. How is it being maintained?

My initial attempts to manifest money flopped (or made things worse) because the big picture was incongruent. I was trying to pull money out of thin air, figuring it would come to me like magic. Well, this isn’t magic… not really.

Similarly, in the area of social abundance, I didn’t just manifest friends with magic. I had to see the big picture. This required thinking about what kind of friend I’d be. I thought about the kinds of friends I wanted to attract, and then I imagined what kind of friend I’d have to be in order to attract them to me — and to maintain good relationships with them. This made it clear that I had to work on myself too in order to step into that new reality. I had to become a better friend to others so I’d be worthy of those new relationships.

I know some people who are working really hard at manifesting new relationships. But all they do is imagine the other person coming to them and loving them. That’s a partial visualization, and it fails consistently. Honestly I don’t think I’ve seen this approach ever really work out. People do attract new partners this way, but the matches aren’t very compatible.

Suppose you’re trying to attract a new woman by visualizing her in your life. She’s everything you desire. She’s a perfect match for you and absolutely amazing as a human being. You can’t help but fall in love with that new reality.

But will she fall in love with you — realistically? A new reality is something you’re going to make REAL — it’s not a fantasy!

If you think your new reality is too good to be true, then well… it is too good to be true.

What do you have to offer this woman? She may be YOUR best possible match, but are you HER best match as well, or will she have better options than you? Will she have to compromise her values and settle for less than she’s worth to be with you? Will you really be able to maintain a relationship with someone like that? Are you worthy of her?

These questions can hit people like a ton of bricks because they reveal our inadequacies. But we still need to address them.

When you visualize your new reality, you must imagine yourself BEING the kind of person who can attract and hold on to all the good stuff you wish to manifest. That means you’re going to have to work on yourself and grow into that kind of person.

I know one woman who’s been trying to manifest the perfect relationship for years. She goes on a lot of dates, yet she remains perpetually alone. It’s obvious to me — and to many who know her — why that’s so. The simple reason is that the man she desires wouldn’t find her attractive at all. I can’t even see that being a remote possibility. She’s a kind-hearted person with a successful career, and she doesn’t have a problem getting dates, but her personality is a total mismatch for the kind of man she wants. She doesn’t fathom what such a man would find attractive in a relationship partner, so she lives in denial of the fact that he wouldn’t be attracted to her. So she’s always dating people where there’s no two-way chemistry. If she keeps doing what she’s been doing, she’ll either remain alone indefinitely, or she’ll eventually settle for an unstable connection with someone she doesn’t find attractive or who doesn’t find her attractive.

In the area of career and finances, what kind of person will you have to become in order to attract and hold on to the abundance you desire? What will it take to be worthy of that kind of flow?

When I was in my 20s, a $50K sum was too much for me to hold on to. I could attract such a sum on rare occasions, but I couldn’t retain it. It would slip through my fingers like water.

Eventually I stopped doing partial visualizations and began seeing the big picture. I realized I’d have to become a man who was worthy of abundance. This may mean something different to you, but to me it meant that I would need to be a kind and generous person who created a lot of value for others. That felt congruent to me. If I were a greedy bastard who was all about me-me-me, I’d feel I didn’t deserve that kind of flow. In my visualizations I felt really good about centering my career around service to others, and I could see that this would be consistent with attracting and perpetuating a constant flow of good stuff through my life — money, good health, low stress, loving relationships, fresh opportunities, etc. The total package just made sense to me.

I had to work a lot on myself to step into that new vision of me, but it definitely worked. In the past five years, I’ve put out enough free content to fill a couple dozen books. That feels really good to me. And resources flow to me so easily that I simply take it for granted that I can relax and enjoy whatever I want to experience in life. This works because it’s a congruent and stable situation. I use my creativity to put out a lot of value for others, so naturally I receive a lot of value in return. But in order to reach this place, I had to go through many internal shifts to step into this new reality.

In the area of social abundance, I do my best to be the kind of friend that’s worthy of having amazing friendships. I support and encourage my friends to pursue their dreams, but I also love to joke around and have fun. Consequently, I attract and maintain relationships with like-minded people. I’m really good at attracting people who are loving life, who enjoy helping people, and who are very encouraging and supportive of me too. And I naturally repel people who wouldn’t make good friends for me.

In order to manifest what you desire, the total package must be congruent. There must be harmony between what you’re attracting and what’s attracting you. Too often people fall into the trap of trying to attract something that would naturally repel them, such as trying to manifest a flow of money without creating any value, or trying to attract a loving relationship without becoming a loving and attractive person.

This is largely common sense, which many people seem to lose sight of when trying to apply the Law of Attraction.

Will a health nut be attracted to a lazy couch potato? Will honest, conscious business people want to do business with someone who creates little value and is in only in it for the money? Will an adventurous growth-seeker be attracted to someone who’s timid and security-minded? Even if these situations were to manifest, they’re unstable and usually won’t work out very well unless there’s a strong attraction in some other area to compensate.

Manifestations can occur very RAPIDLY and POWERFULLY once this harmony is achieved. But until that happens, results tend to be minimal or negative.

Write It Down

Imagining your new reality can be tricky if you try to do it all in your mind.

You may find it helpful to sit down and write out what it will be like to experience your new reality, in as much detail as possible.

For example, if you want to attract a certain type of person into your life, write out a detailed description of that person. Then you can use that as a guide when visualizing. Another option is to create a vision board by assembling a collection of photos or images (physical or digital) that helps you imagine the big picture.

I recently stumbled upon an old journal entry where I wrote out several pages describing in detail what I wanted to experience in life. My life at the time was nowhere close to that reality. I put an incredible amount of detail into it, even including personality descriptions and physical attributes of imagined people, such as how tall they were or that they wore contact lenses or were left- or right-handed.

What really freaked me out is that there is now a person in my reality who matches someone I described about 95% accurately. This person was not on my radar at all when I wrote this journal entry. I wrote it in February 2001. My life was in a completely different place back then.

Most of what I wrote about back then has already manifested. I’m now living it. Other parts of my reality have shifted so much that parts of my vision that seemed so far away are not nearly so distant now. I can actually see steps that would make more of them possible and realistic. The big picture is sliding towards me.

I was talking with Erin about this last week, and she asked me, “Why did you put that kind of detail into it? Why did it matter to you that an imaginary person was near-sighted?”

My best answer is that I found that a copious level of detail made it easier to see it as real. The vision became more believable. If the new reality is to become real, the people within it must be real too, not imaginary archetypes. Real people have height and weight. They may be near-sighted or left-handed. They may have pimples or unshaven faces. They wear certain types of clothes. They have unique personalities.

If you suddenly slid into your new reality, you would instantly observe all of that detail. It would be right in front of you. So put it in front of you now. Create it in your imagination. Clarity creates believability, which gives rise to stronger, crisper vibrations than fogginess.

It takes practice to get good at this, but the more you practice, the richer and more vivid your visualizations will become. That richness makes it easier to lock on to the new emotional states you’re aiming to create.

Achieve new breakthroughs in your habits, career, finances, relationships, health, and spiritual development. Register now to attend the transformational 3-day Conscious Growth Workshop in Las Vegas, January 15-17, 2010.

© 2009 by Steve Pavlina.

Is it possible to use the Law of Attraction to manifest true abundance in your life, including financial abundance, social abundance, and more? Absolutely, it is. In this 35-minute video (split into 4 individual clips for posting on YouTube), I explain why people so often fail in this area, and I give you a simple two-part method to make it work for you. I also share some stories and examples from my own life to help you internalize these ideas so you can apply them successfully.

There are several video clips of me on YouTube already, but those were all recorded by others, including some interviews that people have done with me. This is the first time I’ve intentionally recorded a video to share the kind of ideas I might otherwise cover in an article or podcast. So please consider this my first official video blog.

I recommend that you watch all 4 clips back to back if possible (35 minutes total). I broke the video into shorter clips because of YouTube’s 10-minute limit. I wanted to post these on YouTube instead of another service since it’s the most popular one, and I already have a YouTube channel (stevepavlinadotcom). Feel free to subscribe to it if you’re a YouTube member.

This video was recorded in HD by the way. Enjoy!

You can watch the videos one at a time below, or use this playlist link to automatically watch them in sequence on YouTube.

Creating Abundance (Part 1 of 4)

Creating Abundance (Part 2 of 4)

Creating Abundance (Part 3 of 4)

Creating Abundance (Part 4 of 4)

I’m a total newbie at video, and this was my very first time using iMovie — or any video editing software for that matter — so please be kind.

I hope you find these insights on creating abundance helpful. If you’d like to see more videos, I’m open to suggestions for additional topics to cover.

Achieve new breakthroughs in your habits, career, finances, relationships, health, and spiritual development. Register now to attend the transformational 3-day Conscious Growth Workshop in Las Vegas, January 15-17, 2010.

© 2009 by Steve Pavlina.

The first Conscious Growth Workshop earlier this month was such an unqualified success that I started the process of booking another event less than 48 hours after it ended. It took a little while to select the meeting room and get the paperwork signed, but we’re good to go now.

Workshop Details

All the workshop details can be found on the Conscious Growth Workshop page, including the specific topics we’ll be covering each day.

This will be a very holistic workshop, blending high-level ideas with practical application. We’re going to cover career development, money, health, skill building, habits, productivity, emotions, relationships, spirituality, and more. I’ll be sharing the best insights I have on each of these topics. My goal is not to send you home with pages and pages of notes that you’ll hopefully implement later. This workshop is geared to create many a-ha moments that shift your thinking right there in the workshop.

Workshop Location

The first CGW was at Harrah’s. This one will be at the Flamingo, which is just two doors down, still right in the middle of the Las Vegas Strip.

For CGW #2 we’ll have a significantly larger and nicer meeting room. This new room can hold up to 400 people, so we’ll have more capacity too. I expect attendance for this workshop to be considerably higher than for the first workshop, especially given all the positive buzz about it — and the fact that CGW #1 alumni can attend for free.

Comparison to CGW #1

I’ve received a tremendous amount of feedback from attendees of CGW #1. I didn’t calculate it precisely, but it looks like the average rating was higher than a 9 out of 10. So obviously we did something right. We don’t want to mess up what’s working, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement.

In the months ahead, I’ll be poring over the feedback in detail and making lots of tweaks to the format, the exercises, the fieldwork assignments, and the way the material is presented. I REALLY appreciate the level of detail people used when sending me their feedback. Rest assured I’m reading every word of it and carefully considering what you shared.

One simple change is that we’ll be doing 2-hour lunch breaks each day instead of 90 minutes. It was obvious that people wanted more time to socialize at lunch, myself included. To compensate for the longer lunch breaks, we’ll be ending 30 minutes later each day (5:30pm on Fri and Sat, 4pm on Sun), so the actual time in the workshop will be the same.

We’ll still cover the seven fundamental principles of growth on Day 1, and then we’ll apply them to different areas of life on Days 2 and 3. The feedback I received suggests that this overall structure was very effective. Most of the changes I’ll be making will pertain to how each individual segment is structured and delivered. I’ve already refined some of the exercises (including the Master-Servant one), and I’ll probably make a lot of changes to how we do the written exercises to make them more impactful. The biggest challenge is figuring out how to incorporate the best ideas into the time we have available.

My goal is to make CGW #2 significantly better than CGW #1 while retaining the elements of CGW #1 that worked best. I can’t yet say what all those changes will be. It’s going to take time to fully review the feedback and re-factor each segment of the workshop.

Workshop FAQ

If you have questions about the workshop, please consult the Workshop FAQ first. It packs in a lot of info.

I did my best to anticipate any questions you may have about the workshop, travel arrangements, hotels, and staying in Las Vegas.

Workshop Forums

A few weeks ago, we added a Conscious Growth Workshop discussion forum. This is a great place to interact with CGW #1 alumni if you want to learn about their experiences. You can read plenty of feedback from them about the experience.

A good place to start is with Alex Wu’s day-by-day review of CGW #1.

You can also use that new forum to introduce yourself to other CGW #2 attendees, arrange social gatherings in Vegas, find people to share hotel rooms, ask questions about Las Vegas, etc.

Additionally, you may enjoy reading through this thread about the workshop results, which includes lots of feedback on CGW #1. Just be aware that it’s pretty long (more than 140 posts). You may find this post from Daan Buckinx especially insightful since he shares the specific changes he experienced.

The CGW discussion forum is also a good place to keep in touch after the workshop. It’s very likely you’ll make some great new friends there. I’ve been seeing CGW alumni continuing to stay in touch on Facebook, Twitter, and sometimes in person.

CGW Alumni Attend Free

As I mentioned previously, anyone who attended the very first Conscious Growth Workshop in October can attend one of the 2010 CGWs for free.

Will there be any benefit to attending more than once? Yes, absolutely. This workshop is designed to meet you where you are right now and to help you grow from there. If you attended the first workshop, you may recall the analogy of the different planets. Next year your Planet A will be different, and so will your Planet B. Even though the material will be similar, you’ll be applying each principle to your current life situation, so your experiences will be different each time. Also, you’ll have many new friends to make and hang out with, so the social opportunities will be unique as well.

If you’re a CGW alumni, and you’d like to register for CGW #2, don’t use the online registration form. Instead, please visit Erin’s contact form, and send her a message letting her know you’d like to register for CGW #2. Please provide her with the following info:

• Your name (as you want it to be printed on your badge)
• Your city and state (city and country if you live outside the USA)
• Your email address
• Your phone number

If you send Erin this info and she confirms receipt of it, we’ll have a badge waiting for you at CGW #2.

There’s one caveat though. We need to make sure we don’t get too many alumni saying they’ll be at CGW #2 and then not showing up. That could mean having empty seats we might otherwise have offered to someone else. So if you request a badge for CGW #2 and you flake for some reason, then it means you’ve used up your freebie pass for good, and you won’t be able to attend another CGW in 2010 for free.

Since there were 115 attendees of CGW #1, we should have enough capacity to accommodate anyone who wants to attend CGW #2 for free, as long as you request a badge early enough. However, if we sell out with paid registrations, then it’s possible we may have to turn away some alumni freebie requests if they wait till the last minute to request a badge.

I’d suggest that if you want to request a free alumni badge, please submit your request by December 1st, 2009. That gives you more than a month to decide. We may be able to accommodate requests after that date, but I can’t guarantee it.

If we do get close to selling out, we may follow up with each alumni freebie request to verify that you’re still planning to attend. That way we can offer your seat to someone else if you change your mind. But please don’t request an alumni badge unless you’re willing to commit to using your freebie pass.

If we can swing it, we’ll use a different color for the alumni badges, so you’ll be able to tell at a glance who’s alumni and who’s new.

I don’t know how many CGWs we’ll have in 2010 — that depends on the demand — but I’d like to do at least 3-4 of them, roughly one per calendar quarter. CGW #2 is the only one that’s been scheduled so far.

Time to Register

It should be obvious that I’m EXCITED about doing another workshop. I had so much fun at the first one that I couldn’t wait to schedule another one.

This workshop has had a huge impact on my own personal growth. I thought I was there to be the facilitator, but it turned out that I was just as much an attendee as anyone else. Together we created a space where many breakthroughs were able to occur. The last two weeks have been – without a doubt – one of the most intense growth periods of my life.

Some of the changes I’ve been experiencing are still creating ripples and will have to be revealed in the weeks ahead. But one of the simplest changes I can share is that I’ve been exercising a lot more, eating more lightly, and sleeping less. My fitness level has measurably improved, and I dropped six pounds in the past two weeks.

But perhaps the most astonishing change is that I did something I’ve never done before. That’s right — I bought a Mac! After 20+ years of continuous PC usage, I decided to switch to a Mac for a while. The fact that my laptop PC and desktop PC both went belly-up within the past 3 months made it a good time to switch. I figure it will be an interesting growth experience to become a Mac guy for a while. I ordered a Macbook Pro online last week, and it’s supposed to arrive on Thursday. I also bought a 24″ Mac monitor, which I received yesterday. Before the workshop I’d never have thought it possible!

So what are you waiting for? Go sign up for January 2010 Conscious Growth Workshop. You’ll love it!

Achieve new breakthroughs in your habits, career, finances, relationships, health, and spiritual development. Register now to attend the transformational 3-day Conscious Growth Workshop in Las Vegas, January 15-17, 2010.

© 2009 by Steve Pavlina.

At some point we decided to pull out our Flip cameras and do some interviews.

Matt posted his interview with me today. We talked about some of my ongoing experiments with raw and cooked foods (it’s been a while since I posted an update about that), creating social support for change, and how to achieve new income goals.

Hope you enjoy it.

In another interview we did, I asked Matt and Angela some questions about the raw diet and simple steps people can take to eating healthier. As soon as Erin edits it and uploads it, I’ll be happy to share it here as well.

Achieve new breakthroughs in your habits, career, finances, relationships, health, and spiritual development. Register now to attend the transformational 3-day Conscious Growth Workshop in Las Vegas, January 15-17, 2010.

© 2009 by Steve Pavlina.

If this describes you, then who decided to fixify your income? Who made that decision?

You made that decision, didn’t you? You decided to earn a fixed amount of money per month. You can trace your decisions back to some moment where you said yes to a fixed income.

Are you aware that saying yes was entirely optional? In fact, if you give it some thought (which I’ll encourage you to do in this article), you should be able to see that accepting a fixed income is a rather stupid choice, all things considered. A fixed income is a sucker bet.

How is that choice working out for you so far? Are you blissfully delighted with it? Do you like knowing that you’ll earn the same amount of money month after month? Does it feel comforting to know how much you’re going to make? Or is there some part of you that’s bored and frustrated beyond recognition?

Do you like the stability of it? Is it truly stable, or is your feeling of security rooted in a hopeful illusion? If some individual can decide to turn off your income with the words “You’re fired,” it’s hardly stable. If that’s your situation, it’s safe to say your income is unstable and conditional rather than stable and secure. We can say that all income is conditional, but how stable are those conditions? Does someone else wield the power to turn off your income?

For the sake of argument, let’s assume that your income seems reasonably stable, secure, and predictable. Perhaps you work in a high-demand field, and you’re really good at what you do, so even if you lost your current job, you could quickly find a new one doing similar work for similar pay. That may be a stretch for some, but for the sake of this article, we don’t even need to pluck that low-hanging fruit. There are plenty of other cuts awaiting a splash of lemon juice.

Downsides of a Fixed Income

Aside from its predictability and possible stability, virtually everything else about a fixed income is negative.

First off, a fixed income lacks flexibility. It cannot adapt well to changing circumstances. This means that fixed incomes can get pummeled in a variety of ways.

If expenses rise unexpectedly and surpass your monthly income, then you have no choice but to draw money from cash reserves or investments or go into debt. If your expenses later return to normal, this debt may be temporary, but you’ll still end up paying extra interest or losing interest on your depleted savings/investments, which takes money out of your pocket.

If you spend more, you can’t simply earn more to compensate. This turns unexpected expenses into threats. They become something you relate to with fear or worry about. What if the car breaks down? What if someone gets sick? What if prices go up? Such events are just part of life. It makes no sense to fear the inevitable. Stuff is going to break, including expensive stuff that costs a lot to repair or replace. If getting an unexpected bill stresses you out, your mindset is a mismatch for reality.

If expenses rise above net income for too long, you can sink into debt for a long time and waste a great deal of money paying interest to someone else. Many people remain stuck there till they die. If their fixed incomes are too close to their expenses, taxes, and debt payments, then getting out of debt becomes hopeless. Hope can only be restored by focusing on the income side.

For this reason, people on fixed incomes often spend an inordinate amount of time fussing over their expenses. Otherwise they may risk depleting their savings or going into debt. They want to fulfill their desires, but their income limits their ability to do that.

“I can’t afford it” is practically a mantra for fixed income people. They sacrifice their true desires in order to stick to their budgets, totally oblivious to the fact that no one is forcing them to waste their lives on expense-tracking tedium. If they desire something with a price tag, but they can’t afford it, they rule it out as impossible for them – as if their fixed income is the final arbiter of their desires. Eventually resentment builds. They start resenting the unfairness of the economy, of people who set the prices, of business in general, of money, and so on. The bad guy is somewhere out there. Nope… the bad guy is the stupid choice you made to fixify your income. Wise up and stop doing that to yourself.

People look really pathetic when they act financially helpless. This isn’t how human beings should relate to themselves.

“Hi, there’s something I really want. Actually, it feels like the perfect match for me, but I just can’t afford it because I’m on a fixed income. Help me! Can you give me a price break or something? I really, really want it!”

“How about if you give me a break and stop pretending to be helpless?”

“No, you don’t understand. I’m on a tight budget. I really can’t afford to pay full price.”

“Now you’re just making yourself look foolish. Who fixified your income in the first place? You did! Why are you putting the onus on me to work within the limits you created for yourself? You’re asking me to fit an elephant inside a breadbox. Why don’t you raise your limits? Raise them high enough to be well beyond your desires, so you can easily afford whatever you want.”

“I can do that?”

“Yes, you’ve always been free to do that.”

“Well, I dunno about that. I don’t think my boss will give me more money.”

“Screw your boss then. Why do you want a boss anyway?”

“But that would mean making major changes in my life.”

“Yes, it would.”

“I don’t think I’m ready for that. It’s too risky.”

“There’s no additional risk because you’ve already lost the connection to your desires. You’re already stuck in a situation where you aren’t experiencing what you truly want. Life doesn’t get any worse than that. To do nothing ensures a continuation of the worst possible outcome – being perpetually unfulfilled.”

“But it could get worse. I could be even more unhappy.”

“If you do nothing, it will indeed get worse. That’s a given. Your desires will slip further and further away as you disconnect from your heart even more. Life doesn’t get any worse than that. The only hope lies on the path of change.”

“So it’s to be torture then?”

“Yes, until it kills you.”

“I can cope with torture.”

“Suit yourself.”

“So how about that price break?”

“Fezzik, tear his arms off.”

Foolishly Guarding Fool’s Gold

It’s funny how people strive to protect that which is worthless. The state of being unhappy and unfulfilled is worth absolutely nothing. If that’s where you find yourself, you’re already at rock bottom.

You may think that you’ll have to risk some of your stuff (possessions, money, etc) to make big changes in your life. That may be true, but if you aren’t happy right now, then all of that stuff is of zero value to you anyway. If you try to maintain your stuff at the expense of your happiness and fulfillment, then you are indeed a complete idiot. You’re trying to sell your very soul, aren’t you? You’re entering into an agreement that says, “I agree to be perpetually unhappy and unfulfilled in exchange for cash and goods worth $X.” Add up the value of all the stuff you believe you’d have to risk to make big changes. Does that value of X make this agreement a wise choice?

Risk the stuff. It’s worthless anyway. But don’t make the insane choice of sacrificing your happiness for stuff.

Switching to a Variable Income

Earning a variable income, where you have the flexibility to earn a different sum of money each month, has a lot more to do with mindset than anything else. It doesn’t matter if you have a job, run your own business, or enjoy multiple streams of income. Those are just different vehicles.

The key is to recognize who determines your income. You do. You may have financial and economic realities to deal with, but ultimately you set the prices for what your time and efforts are worth financially, you decide what skills to develop and what kind of training to undertake, and you determine what kind of value to create and deliver to people. The most powerful choices are under your control.

If you deliver pizza for a living, you can expect to be paid for that particular skill based on its market value. Pizza delivery guys are easily trained and replaced, so you can expect to earn very little from such a job. Don’t blame the job for what it pays. No one is forcing you to choose a low-paying, unskilled job. If you try to squeeze more money from a job than the job is worth in the larger marketplace, eventually your boss or customers will figure out that you’re being overpaid, and you’ll be replaced by someone cheaper.

On the other hand, maybe you want to inspire and motivate people for a living. This takes a lot more skill than delivering pizzas, but it’s in much higher demand relative to the supply. In general, people are willing to pay a lot more to be inspired and motivated than they’re willing to pay for a hot pizza (unless you live in Naples). If you develop a high ability to inspire and motivate people, and you build the means to deliver your value to a sizeable number of people, you can eventually earn more in an hour than the pizza guy earns in month.

You not only have the ability to develop your skills within a particular field, but you can also switch fields repeatedly. If you want to earn more, then keep building skills and changing up how you combine and express those skills to maximize the value you’re able to create and deliver, thereby maximizing the income you’re able to generate. The opportunities to do this are endless as long as you remain flexible and alert.

Your income is not fixed unless you decide to fixify it. It doesn’t matter if you’re getting checks from the government as your only income source. Those checks may not increase in size, but they aren’t the only checks you’re capable of earning. If you don’t like the size of those checks, go out and earn different checks.

A Fixed Income Is a Sucker Bet

Take note that while you’re receiving a fixed income, someone higher up the chain of command is enjoying a variable income at your expense. When you receive a fixed income, you’re actually creating a variable amount of value, but the income generated by your excess value is being siphoned off to line someone else’s pockets. They’re profiting from your ignorance. How generous of you! It may seem like they’re taking on more risk, but keep in mind that if they go down, you go down too. You share in the risk, but you don’t share in the upside. You do realize you’re giving away the farm here, don’t you?

If you’re going to work, then why not receive and enjoy the fruits of your labor instead of giving most of your earnings away before you even see them? You’re already creating value, aren’t you? If you want to be generous, consider giving some of your excess value away to charity. I donate some money each month because it feels good to do so. But I donate to non-profits and charities that spend their money on things I want to support, not to stock-holding officers or investors who are already making millions a year.

Stop pretending to be helpless when it comes to how much money you make. Your paycheck has no power over you – except to the degree you give your power away. You may be working in a system where the higher ups have every financial incentive to keep you powerless so they can keep siphoning the value you’re creating, but ultimately you’re the one who chooses to walk through that door each day. You don’t have to keep doing that. You can get up and leave right this minute if you want. Many people are much happier for having done that.

You are the final arbiter of your desires. If you want something with a price tag, you have the power to earn the money to pay for it. You decide how much you earn. You decide how much you spend.

When you realize that you choose your income, you can focus your energies on creating and delivering as much value as it takes to earn whatever you want. Be intelligent and deliberate about it. Make abundance a priority in your life. This is a lot more fun than fussing over expenses and nitpicking your taxes. Once you develop a modicum of skill, you’ll find that it’s a lot more fun to earn an extra $10K than to save $10K. You can earn $10K in an hour if you develop the mindset and skills to do so. No one is stopping you from doing that.

Stop Fussing Over Expenses and Taxes

When it comes to reducing your expenses and taxes, you have to do a lot of tedious work. It’s not fun, at least not for any sane person I’ve met. Yet people with a scarcity mindset spend a lot more time nitpicking their expenses and taxes than they invest in boosting their income. Not a good trade off… not by a long shot.

When you try to minimize your expenses and taxes, you’ll eventually reach the point of having to make tough calls that could reduce your quality of life. On the expenses side, you may have to do extra expense tracking and budgeting, which takes time. Or you may begin to sacrifice quality to save a few bucks on your purchases.

On the tax side, you’ll have to fill out more paperwork and do more accounting to take advantage of more deductions and save more money. Is that really what you want to spend your precious life doing?

Consider that when it comes to expenses and taxes, you have a hard limit of $0 and can go no lower. Once you’re spending the bare minimum, that’s it – you’re done. So your maximum ideal gain is to spend nothing at all. And even if you could take things that far, your quality of life will surely suffer. You’ll be wasting so much time going out of your way just to save a few extra dollars here and there. Sacrifice and scarcity will be your constant companions. That’s no way to live.

In the long run, it’s much more productive to focus your time and energy – not to mention your precious life – on the side of generating more income. You have no hard limit on that side. For all practical purposes, the sky is the limit. With commitment and persistence, you can boost your income by many multiples of what you might save on the expense and tax side.

Working on the income side is a lot more fun to boot. You get to spend your time creating value and receiving money with gratitude instead of worrying about whether or not you can afford to splurge on organic produce.

For my taxes, I pay an accountant to do all the paperwork for me. That costs extra money, but I don’t worry about it. I also procrastinate endlessly when it comes to doing any sort of accounting work. I do the bare minimum I can. I keep everything in good order, but I don’t balance the accounts very often. At tax time I let my accountant work his magic to figure out the best deductions for me, but if I have to do extra work that I don’t want to do just to save a little more money, I simply decline. That way I get to spend more time on the value creation and delivery side, not to to mention the enjoyment of life side. The pay is much better on that side, both financially and emotionally.

Last year my accountant told me I could save more money by deducting the business use of my car. All I’d have to do would be to keep track of mileage when I drive my car for business reasons. There may have been some other ways to claim this deduction, but they still required me to do more tracking, analysis, and/or paperwork. That seemed like a stupid waste of life, so I told my accountant to skip that deduction – not worth it to me. I’m not going to waste more time on stuff I don’t enjoy just so I can save an extra thousand dollars on my taxes. The IRS will surely have no trouble taking the extra money, and I’m happy to spend my time doing more of what I enjoy, which will easily enable me to earn enough money to cover that missed deduction many times over. I’d actually lose money if I tried to take that deduction. It’s yet another sucker bet for those who choose to live in scarcity.

When it comes to my expenses, I don’t maintain any sort of budget, either on the business side or personal side. Budgeting is boring to me, so I don’t do it. I simply spend whatever I feel like spending. When my expenses rise, expectedly or unexpectedly, I don’t worry about it. I don’t have to worry. I know that if I begin to overspend, I can always restore balance by over-earning just as easily.

Earning money is fun. Spending money is fun. Both activities are interchangeable. Fussing over expenses and taxes isn’t remotely fun, so that isn’t part of the equation – that kind of stuff gets triaged.

My latest credit card bill for my business is $1010, which is on the low side. Most of it is stuff that gets auto-billed each month. I was too busy earning money that month and didn’t have as much time to spend money. The bill before that was $6900. Ah yes, the Bermuda conference. I had a lot of fun spending money that month. The bill before that was somewhere in between. My personal credit card bills fluctuate similarly. Every month I pay off every balance completely, so there’s no revolving balance and no interest charges.

I “waste” money on unnecessary expenses all the time. I overspend on little things. I don’t fuss over trying to save money. I assume that whatever I can spend, I can earn. That wasn’t always the case though – it took years to train up to the level where I could earn enough to cover my desires.

Years ago I had a friend who absolutely hated waiting in line. He saw it as a personal insult. He used to say that all stores and restaurants should have a separate cashier for people who are willing to pay 50% more, just so they’ll never have to wait in line. I thought he was nuts at the time, but he was simply trying to maximize the value he got from life. Waiting in life sucked too much value away.

I really don’t know how much money I earn each month because I only look into it a couple times a year. It’s just video game gold anyway – doesn’t really matter what the exact figures are. I have a general feel/vibe for how the cash is flowing week by week, and in terms of spending I do my best to go with the flow. Is my bank account growing or shrinking? I like to see the numbers keep growing. I check my account balances a couple times a week to take their pulse. I earn money from multiple sources pretty much every day, so my checking account is perpetually refilling itself, but I want to make sure there are no big surprises like fraudulent charges. Some months it’s hard for me to guess what I actually earned within +/- $5K. I simply don’t care to keep track. It’s somewhere in the tens of thousands each month, more than enough to live off.

I do the same with my book. I have no idea how many copies it’s sold. Can’t even fathom a guess within +/- 5K copies. I haven’t asked my publisher for a sales update this whole year. It’s great that we’re up to a dozen languages for translated versions, but as for the money and sales, I don’t really care. I’ll sort it out when the royalty statements start coming. It will be more fun to be surprised.

Even though this may sound financially irresponsible, I think it’s just the opposite. My bills always get paid. I’m paying down my mortgage much faster than necessary. My car is 100% paid for. I’m sharing this with you because it actually works, even though it may sound counter-intuitive.

Managing your finances in real life – the fun way – is very much like earning gold in a computer role-playing game. Earning money is play. Spending money is also play. If you aren’t having fun, you’re missing the whole point.

I think it’s truly irresponsible to waste your precious life on things you don’t enjoy, like fussing over your expenses or taxes. Does it feel good to you to sacrifice quality of life to keep a tight grip on your finances, when you could be making plenty of money if you simply spent more time doing what you love and providing value for others? Would you rather do something creative and have plenty of money to splash around, or spend your time dealing with cheap items that keep breaking down? I think you deserve the best that life has to offer you, but you have to step up and claim it. No one is stopping you from doing that.

Cash Reserves

Suze Orman recommends maintaining a short-term cash reserve (not counting long-term investments) equivalent to about 6 months of expenses. I think that’s a wise idea. A decent cash reserve gives you a lot more flexibility, whether your income is fixed or variable.

I maintain a liquid cash reserve at all times to have a cushion for any unforeseen expenses. I like to see that reserve be at least $50K, preferably closer to $100K. That way if something unexpected happens like a wacko filing a frivolous lawsuit because he spilled boiling water on himself while attempting my brown rice recipe… or crashed his car while attempting to drive after a week on polyphasic sleep, I can easily afford a decent hitman.

When your income source is fairly vulnerable, like if you could get laid off or fired and spend a lot of time out of work, you may want to maintain a bigger cash reserve. But when you assert more control over your income and maintain more options for responding to financial setbacks, you don’t need as big a reserve.

If you have multiple streams of mostly passive income, and if it would take a major upheaval to threaten those sources even if you stopped working for a while, you may be fine with a 2-month cash reserve or less. If I suddenly need more cash, I have lots of options that could easily be implemented in less than 60 days. I could do another joint-venture promotion. I could create and sell an info product. I could do another book deal and get an advance. Even so, when I focus on feeling abundant, I naturally attract a bigger reserve than I need.

Cash reserves are useful because there’s a lag between creating and delivering value and receiving income from it. Some income sources have low lag time. For example, when someone registers for my workshop and pays by credit card or PayPal, the money is in my bank account within a few days. Some sources pay monthly, such as affiliate deals. Others pay quarterly, semi-annually, or less frequently, like book royalties. Some pay “whenever.” A cash reserve helps to smooth out fluctuations. It also keeps you from incurring stupid bank fees from bouncing checks. Having a bank balance that’s too low can lead to a lot of time wasted as well as unnecessary stress.

How do you build a cash reserve? You can get there by skimping on expenses, but that gets really tedious and boring after a while, so I don’t recommend it. Focus on creating more value, training up your value-creating skills, and building a bigger client base for whatever service you provide. It all comes down to getting better at creating and delivering value.

I certainly didn’t make sacrifices to build a cash reserve. I just kept doing what I enjoyed. I stayed alert for new ways to express and deliver value to people. Sometimes it was as simple as asking, “What else can I write about that could help people in some way?” I didn’t have to focus on earning money. When you get good at creating and delivering value, money finds its way to you.

Luck or Choice?

Why do I find myself in this “lucky” situation where I get to do what I want, earn what I want, and spend what I want? If you think luck had anything to do with this, you’re crazy, deluded, and otherwise insane. This happened by choice. I created this career and financial situation deliberately. It wasn’t easy to figure out how all the pieces would fit together – it took years – but it was definitely worth it.

How long it takes you to hit your desired financial stride is irrelevant since the time is going to pass anyway. You can spend that time creating the life you desire, or you can stay stuck with something you don’t want. You might as well work toward what you desire, unless you want sacrifice and scarcity to accompany you all the way to the grave.

Recognize that a fixed income is a sucker bet. It’s like drinking soda. It doesn’t matter that lots of people do it – that doesn’t make it any less dumb. There’s no good reason to sacrifice yourself to line someone else’s pockets. Don’t be a sucker.

You’re free to opt out of the fixed income sucker bet whenever you want. When you do this, rest assured that the other suckers in your life will bark at you for pouring lemon juice on their cuts, and the higher ups won’t appreciate that you saw through their scheme. But you’ll be free to decide how much you earn. You’ll be able to write your own paycheck, not with airy-fairy wishful thinking but with a commitment to creating and delivering the best value you can, regardless of how you choose to express yourself.

Of course having a variable income isn’t all fun and roses. It takes time to get the hang of it and to get a good feel for how to balance the flow of earning and spending. It took me about 5 years before I achieved basic competence with it. I made tons of mistakes during that time, but I learned from them. After that it was pretty easy to maintain stability.

If you pursue this path, maybe you can figure it out in 2 years. Maybe it will take 10. Again, the time is going to pass anyway. If you drop the fixed income mindset, you’ll end up in a pretty sweet place once you eventually figure it out.

As you probably noticed, I made up some words in this article. You’re free to coinify your own words too. This is your reality after all. You make the rules. Just as you can subscribe to other people’s verbal patterns, you can also subscribe to other people’s income patterns. But you don’t have to. You never did have to. Just because a pattern is popular doesn’t mean it’s the best pattern for you. Give that some thoughtification.

Achieve new breakthroughs in your habits, career, finances, relationships, health, and spiritual development. Register now to attend the transformational 3-day Conscious Growth Workshop in Las Vegas, January 15-17, 2010.

© 2009 by Steve Pavlina.

Erin and I recently did a 35-minute video interview for the Alison and Jaye Show (see below). Most of the Q&A focuses on psychic development and communicating with spirit guides, including the benefits and pitfalls of receiving guidance from non-physical entities. We also discuss overcoming blocks to financial abundance near the end of the interview.

If you’re convinced there’s no such thing as psychic abilities, you can safely skip this interview because it won’t likely do much for you. This video is geared more toward people who already have some experiences with psychic phenomena as well as skeptics who are curious about this topic and want to learn more. By skeptics I’m referring to open-minded doubters but not close-minded disbelievers. If you aren’t open to this sort of thing, don’t press play.

If you liked this video, you may also enjoy listening to Erin’s recent 60-minute radio interview with Janice Marie Wilson, which covers similar topics and includes some Q&A with live callers.

Additionally, Erin is now offering an instant download of her PDF “10 Ways to Raise Your Vibration” when you sign up for her free newsletter. Raising your vibration essentially means feeling stronger, lighter, and happier and releasing feelings of depression, anxiety, fear, anger, guilt, shame, grief, etc. These techniques can also be used to boost your passion and motivation for action. The lower your vibration, the more you’ll be stuck in negative emotions, apathy, and helplessness. The higher your vibration, the stronger, happier, and more vibrant you’ll feel.

In case you’re wondering whether or not we’re going to cover psychic development during our Las Vegas workshop in October, the answer is no, not by design. If someone brings it up during Q&A, we’ll answer their questions, but this topic is too expansive to adequately cover in this particular workshop. We didn’t want our first workshop to require attendees to be receptive to psychic development. We’d have to plan a separate workshop to do this topic justice.

Achieve new breakthroughs in your habits, career, finances, relationships, health, and spiritual development. Register now to attend the transformational 3-day Conscious Growth Workshop in Las Vegas, January 15-17, 2010.

© 2009 by Steve Pavlina.

I bought cheap food in bulk (I used to eat a lot of ramen noodles). When I needed furniture for my home office, I bought the cheapest particle-board furniture I could find and assembled it myself. I bought cheap shoes from Payless. I got hand-me-downs from relatives.

I wouldn’t always buy the cheapest items available, but I tried to get the best value as I perceived it. I didn’t want to overpay for anything.

This felt good to me in general. I liked that I was conserving cash and making my money last. My needs were adequately met.

Even as my income increased and I could afford better quality, this habit continued for a while.

Reconsidering value

One day I was browsing the bookstore, and I came across a story from Donald Trump. He noted that he used to be very value-conscious (i.e. cheap) like me when buying clothes. That was a long time ago, so I’ll paraphrase the story as best I can remember.

Donald thought it seemed wasteful to spend $1000 on a pair of shoes when a $100 pair was just fine. The same goes for expensive suits. But he could easily afford the more expensive items, so one day he decided to buy a pair of those uber-expensive shoes. To cut to the chase, he found them to be of significantly higher quality in ways that surprised him, so much so that he questioned whether they were perhaps the better value all along.

That story struck a chord in me for some reason. It made me curious. I began to wonder if some of the more expensive items I’d been shunning were actually a better value in the long run.

I had to admit that many of the cheap items I’d bought in accordance with my value-conscious mindset often didn’t last very long. The cheap shoes I bought always wore out in 6-12 months. It was pretty impressive if they lasted a full year. Cheap appliances typically broke within the first few years if I used them regularly, sometimes sooner. I ended up throwing many items away and replacing them. Every year or two I had to buy a new wristwatch. I wondered if those cheap items were intentionally designed to break down after a certain while.

I also considered that there were other areas of my life where I wasn’t as cheap, and I noticed that I got better performance in those areas.

For example, one area where I wasn’t cheap was computer equipment. In college I bought the best PC I could afford, a 486-DX 50mhz with a 250MB hard drive and a Super VGA monitor. I think I paid around $2500 for it (cash, not credit), which was a lot of money for me at the time. I could have spent less than $1000 for an adequate machine. I also splurged for the Borland C++ developer package instead of the much cheaper Turbo C++.

When I did contract work as a game programmer during my final semester of college, all of the computers at the game company were slower than my home PC. Thanks in part to my speedy computer, I programmed four games during college, which were published as a Windows arcade pack shortly after I graduated. Between my contract payments and future royalties, I estimate that I earned about $50 per hour for that programming work, which was very good money for a student. My fast PC more than paid for itself. Had I tried to save money and get a better “value,” it would have probably backfired on me. I wouldn’t have been as productive working from my apartment, so I might have missed out on this opportunity.

As I reflected on my various consumer experiences, I began wondering if I was being too cheap overall. Perhaps I was missing other opportunities by focusing too much on saving money.

Understanding lifetime value

Later in life I began to experiment. I figured I could afford to spend a little more money on the basics, if only to satisfy my curiosity about the difference in quality.

Instead of buying shoes for $30 or less, I bought shoes that were $90+. This meant I could afford shoes that were made without animal-derived materials (Vegetarian Shoes is the brand). Those were the most durable shoes I’ve ever bought. I have a pair of tennis shoes that’s around 4-5 years old now, and I wear them often. They’re starting to look run down, but they’re still in reasonable shape. A pair of $90 sandals I bought at the same time still look almost new. I’ll probably get another 10 years of use out of them if not more.

To my surprise these “extravagant” purchases actually saved me money in the long run. If I stuck with the cheaper options, I’d have gone through 5-10 pairs of tennis shoes and probably a few pairs of sandals by now.

Buying what you truly want vs. compromising

How often do you buy what you really, truly want regardless of price? How often do you compromise and sacrifice what you want to get something cheaper?

What would happen if you stopped fussing over price tags and started buying exactly what you wanted regardless of cost?

When Erin and I moved into our current home two years ago, we bought some new furniture. Instead of going cheap or looking for the best possible value, we decided to identify what we really wanted, regardless of price, and then as long as we could reasonably afford it, we’d buy it. Fortunately it was easy for us to agree on every item, as we seem to have similar tastes in furniture.

We didn’t have limitless cash, so we gave ourselves a furniture budget, and once it was gone, we’d be done buying furniture for a while. If that meant we couldn’t buy all the furnishings we wanted, we were okay with that. We figured we’d rather have less furniture and buy only those items we really wanted instead of filling our home with compromises. We could always buy more furniture later once we replenished our cash.

At one furniture store we bought their most expensive dining room set with a beautiful marble table top. We also bought one of their most expensive bedroom sets with the very best mattress we tested. The commissioned salesman who helped us was practically having an orgasm. We overheard him excitedly telling one of his buddies, “These guys are buying all the most expensive stuff!”

This was the first time we bought the type of furnishings that we really, really wanted — without compromising. If one item was $500 less than a comparable item that seemed a little bit nicer to us, we’d spend the extra money and buy whichever item we liked best, regardless of cost.

We couldn’t afford to furnish our entire home that way without depleting our cash to an uncomfortable level (or going into debt), so we left some areas of our home very sparsely furnished. If we had bought furniture using our old value-driven mindset, we’d have easily been able to furnish and decorate the entire house, but it would have been filled with compromises.

This was a very interesting experience for me. When the furniture was delivered and set up in our home, I noticed that I felt much differently about it vs. how I used to feel about all our old hand-me-down furniture. I felt so appreciative of it. I was very grateful for it. Moreover, I used to hate shopping for furniture (or anything else for that matter), but I absolutely enjoyed that shopping experience. The salesman certainly enjoyed it too.

To this day when I sit at our dining room table, I can’t help but notice what a nice table it is. Although we bought it two years ago, I never take it for granted. I still comment to Erin about what a great table it is. This surprises me. I’d have thought that by now, my enthusiasm for this table would have worn off, but it hasn’t. You’d figure I’d be accustomed to it by now. Nope. I feel grateful every time I sit down at it.

The same goes for our bedroom furniture. Our bed is so ridiculously comfortable, and I sleep much better on it. It feels great no matter what position I sleep in. We still have our previous mattress in our guest room (a “value” purchase), and I can’t sleep on it anymore. It just doesn’t feel right to me. I still tell Erin how much I love our new bed even though it isn’t new anymore. When we lie down to go to sleep, I’ll often exclaim, “I love this bed!”

As I mentioned in my previous article, we recently bought some more new furniture. Again, we decided to get what we wanted — no compromising! We went back to that same furniture store (it’s RC Willey if you’re curious) and bought a new couch, some recliner chairs, and some small tables. The couch replaces an old 13-year old couch that was falling apart, and the recliner chairs fill in one of those spots that was essentially vacant for two years. At one point we were trying to decide between two different types of recliners. Recliner A was $400 and was comfortable and definitely suitable. I’d give it an A-. Recliner B was $550, but it was a lot cozier to me. We bought two of Recliner B without giving serious consideration to the price difference. It was the very best recliner we found.

We put these recliners in the sitting area of our master bedroom. I just love them. They’re so comfortable and cozy. I smile whenever I walk past them. The headrest can even be adjusted to two different positions. One position is good for relaxing; the other is good for reading.

Similarly we bought the most expensive three-piece sectional couch that the store carried. I appreciate it whenever I sit in it. Erin and the kids really like it too.

When I used to compromise and go for value purchases, I’d never have these strong feelings of appreciation and gratitude when I got the items home. Why should I be grateful for something I didn’t really want? If the item was just okay but not great, I’d end up taking it for granted. It was just a thing to be possessed.

But when I buy what I really want, regardless of how much it costs, I feel a special connection to the item. It feels good to have it around. It gives rise to feelings of abundance. It feels like a manifestation of my desires, not a consumer purchase.

Enjoying abundance

What do you think it’s like to live in a home that’s filled with stuff you really want? Well, I’ll tell you. It’s wonderful. It feels very abundant. Whenever I walk around my home, it’s like the furniture is broadcasting positive affirmations. “You can fulfill your desires.” “You deserve abundance.” “You are successful.” “Life is good.”

Compare this to living in a place filled with compromises. Mixed messages are broadcast instead. “You’re a person who settles.” “You can’t always get what you want.” “You need to save money.” “You cheap bastard!”

Now, do you think it makes a difference which environment you live in day after day? You bet it does.

When I walk around my home and feel those good feelings, it’s very motivating. My life feels very abundant. I feel more creative. I’m more motivated to make a contribution. When I feel that the universe is supporting me so lovingly, I feel naturally inclined to give back.

The old way was more stressful. My home would feel comfortable but lacking. Instead of enjoying what I had, I secretly wished I could replace it with something better. There was this nagging feeling of incompleteness.

My house isn’t perfect. There’s still some old stuff that gives me mixed feelings here and there, but I’m gradually transitioning away from that, and it feels good to do so.

This experience has made me more understanding of why so many highly successful people have lavishly decorated homes and offices. They’re simply creating and experiencing what they desire — no compromises. When they get what they want, it helps them enjoy a more abundant state of being, whereby they can be more resourceful and creative.

On the other hand, if you live and work in an environment that doesn’t match what you really want, you’re sending yourself a different message. You’re proclaiming that life is limited and that you’re powerless to fulfill your desires. You’re settling for something you don’t really want. Is that going to lead to happiness? No, you’ll always fall short.

Years ago I’d have thought that paying top dollar for the very best was extremely wasteful. I had major issues with people who lived like that. How dare they live in luxury while so many other people don’t even have their basic needs met? What a cruel and wicked thing to do! But now I see it in a totally different light. I recognize that compromise is out of alignment with the principle of Love. It’s not the nature of life to deny your desires, but we always have the power to live in self-denial in accordance with our beliefs. To fully align yourself with the principle of Love, you must figure out what you truly want and give yourself permission to connect with it.

Releasing your blocks to abundance

Does it ever bug you that people who live in the lap of luxury are capable of much greater generosity than you are? (This used to bug me a lot.)

How does it feel knowing that such people can donate millions (sometimes billions) of dollars to charity without sacrificing anything they truly desire?

Can you do that?

Do you know for a fact that such people would have achieved this same level of giving if they denied more of their desires? Do you ever claim they should do without certain luxuries so they can give even more?

Did you ever consider that this type of thinking could be a symptom of your own lack of abundance? Have you ever thought that the ability to give so much may be a result of getting past self-denial and compromise? Is it possible to fulfill all your personal desires and become uber-generous at the same time — no compromising? Is it possible that either-or thinking might be sabotaging you from achieving either of these goals?

Desire is a very personal thing. Be careful not to compare yourself to others. Bill Gates may desire a $40 million mansion, while Warren Buffet is just fine living in a modest home. Obviously they can both easily afford any kind of home on the planet, but their desires are different.

How to afford what you truly want

I suppose the big question you might have is, How can I possibly afford to get what I want?

What if what you want costs a lot more than what you have available to spend?

I’m not suggesting that you go into debt and live beyond your means. Here’s what I do recommend:

Make fewer purchases for starters. When you do make a key purchase, be willing to spend whatever it takes to get what you really want. Buy less stuff, but go for top quality.

Raise your standards for each individual purchase. Ask yourself, “What would I buy if money were no object? What would I buy if I could easily afford anything? What do I actually want, regardless of price?”

Get clear about your true desires. Forget about the price tags for a moment. Admit to yourself what you really want. Stay in that higher vibration of fulfillment and abundance, and stay out of the lower vibration of compromise and scarcity.

Instead of buying three items that are compromises, pool your resources to buy one item that you truly want, and do without the other two items for a while… at least until you can afford what you really want there as well.

Suppose you want to buy a new cell phone. Which phone and plan would you select if you won a contest that guaranteed you any phone you wanted with a lifetime plan of your choice for free?

When you’re thinking about making a purchase, forget about the money at first. Don’t try to determine value in terms of features vs. price. Instead, see if you can identify the very best item in accordance with your desires. If you could snap your fingers and have any item you desire for free, what would it be? Sometimes you’ll pick one of the most expensive items on the market, but other times the item that best fulfills your desires will be a simpler, less expensive model.

How can I afford it?

Once you’ve identified what you really want, then take note of the price. If you can easily afford it, go ahead and buy it. It’s what you want after all. Don’t block yourself. Don’t be a cheapskate. What do you think money is for anyway? Do you think you’ll get more joy out of life by staring at your bank balance?

If affording the desired item seems like it would be a financial challenge, then ask yourself, “How can I afford this?” Is it really out of your league, or is it possible that you could earn it? If you come up with a way to intelligently afford the item, then make it so. Don’t hold yourself back.

Could you afford the item by having a garage sale to get rid of some of your old junk? Could you put in a few more hours at work? Could you pounce on an opportunity that you’ve been dismissing? Could you come up with a way to create and deliver more value, thereby boosting your income? Could you acquire the item creatively, such as by bartering for it.

Do NOT obsess over the price of the item. Do NOT worry about whether or not it’s a good value relative to your income.

Obsess over your desire instead. Hold the intention to acquire the item with ease. Imagine that it’s already yours. Picture yourself enjoying it. Feel grateful for it in advance. Think about how much you’ll appreciate it.

If you do this right and avoid blocking yourself, you’ll find that something rather amazing happens. The money you need may simply show up in your life. A new opportunity may present itself that makes it easy to get the money. The item itself may come into your life through an expected turn of events. The item may go on sale, making it affordable for you.

Be watchful for synchronicities related to the item. Follow them.

Desire acts like a magnet. Once you tune into your desires, allow your desires to manifest. Don’t block yourself by returning to thoughts of scarcity. Don’t assume you can’t have what you want. Don’t think about settling for a less desirable substitute. Know that what you want is already coming to you.

As far as the universe is concerned, there’s no difference between a $10 item and a $10,000 item.  The reason the $10K item seems more difficult to manifest is because of your beliefs. You believe it’s harder to manifest, and so it is.

Start small

Begin with purchases that cause you to stretch a little but which you can easily afford. Start with purchases that aren’t going to make a major dent in your finances.

When you go out to eat, order what you really want, regardless of price. If you want an appetizer, drink, and dessert with your meal, get them. Get used to ordering off a menu without even looking at the prices.

When you go grocery shopping, buy what you actually want, even if it raises your bill a little. Stock your kitchen with the healthiest, tastiest foods you can find. Buy less food if you have to, but don’t settle for cheap junk just to save a few dollars. If you go cheap, you’ll likely be eating lots of wheat-, corn-, and soy-based products with different flavorings added. Avoid phony foods that add natural flavors, artificial flavors, sugars, salt, and coloring to make them look and taste better than the mush they’re really made from. Cheap foods create the illusion of variety, fooling you into eating a very limited and unhealthy diet. Spend more on fresh, organic produce to get real variety. Which items would you buy if you had a pre-paid shopping spree?

Cheap items are cheap for a reason. Quality has been sacrificed to lower the costs, and creative packaging makes it look more valuable than it really is. For example, if you buy regular white vinegar off the shelf in a grocery store (the cheapest vinegar you can get), be aware that you’re buying a product that’s actually made from a coal tar derivative. Use it to clean your house, but don’t put that stuff in your body if you have a modicum of intelligence. The same goes for buying cheap products that include “vinegar” on the label such as the cheap name-brand ketchups and salad dressings. Buy only real food. If you can’t afford to buy real food, grow it yourself for pennies on the dollar.

When buying clothes, go for quality over quantity. Get outfits that are durable, that fit you, and that look good on you, even if you have to pay more for them. If you go cheap, you’ll pay for it in the long run.

If you’ve never shopped for top quality before, it may feel uncomfortable at first. Stick with it. It gets easier over time.

As you gain comfort with small purchases, up the ante a bit. Keep progressing to bigger items. Gradually condition yourself to believe that you can afford anything you want.

Appreciation and gratitude

When you get what you want, receive it with gratitude. Take time to appreciate it. Enjoy it fully.

Give yourself the message that you can have whatever you desire. You just have to identify it and claim it.

This is how to live in harmony with abundance.

Achieve new breakthroughs in your habits, career, finances, relationships, health, and spiritual development. Register now to attend the transformational 3-day Conscious Growth Workshop in Las Vegas, January 15-17, 2010.

© 2009 by Steve Pavlina.

Do you admire and respect them? Do you speak highly of them?

Or are you suspicious of them? Do you criticize or attack them?

What’s the true role of these people in your life? What do they represent?

Subjectively speaking, your relationship with the most successful people in your reality represents your relationship to success itself. Those people represent your potential and how you feel about it.

I use the term “relationship” to mean your general attitude toward people who are ultra-successful. It doesn’t matter if you know them personally because your relationships are all in your mind anyway.

If you don’t know any very successful people personally, but you still hold strong opinions about some of them, that is very telling as well. It indicates that you don’t have a close personal relationship with your own success potential.

On the other hand, if you count highly successful people among your closest and dearest friends and family, that’s equally telling. It suggests that you have a close personal connection to your own success potential.

Birds of a feather

Objectively speaking, successful people flock together. You really don’t see highly successful people all by themselves, surrounded by those who have a negative attitude towards success. The movers and shakers in any field tend to be friends and often hang out together.

Similarly, people who have a negative attitude toward success flock together as well.

If you want to get a better picture of your own relationship to success, look to the people you hang out with. Do you befriend a lot of successful people? Or do you hang out with those who resent them or who are envious of them? This will give you a good picture of your relationship to success itself.

It’s all too easy to say that you have a successful attitude, but if you keep company with those who shun success, you’re incongruent.

Successful and unsuccessful people tend to repel each other, at least in terms of forming close friendships. One reason is that unsuccessful people are constantly complaining. They’re veritable fountains of grievances. They do it dozens of times per day, usually without being aware of it. If you ask them what they think of any random celebrity, it’s a virtual guarantee they’ll focus mainly on what they don’t like about that person.

Successful people, on the other hand, are constantly talking about their dreams, goals, and projects. This doesn’t mean they’re blindly optimistic about everything. They simply have a strong tendency to focus on what they want. They inspire and motivate themselves, and they inspire and motivate each other.

When you put the two different types of people together, you have the unsuccessful people talking about their grievances, which annoys and disturbs the highly successful people if overdone. Initially a successful person may try to help out by offering advice or mentoring. But when s/he observes that the unsuccessful person applies none of it and comes up with excuses to maintain the status quo, it’s an immediate turnoff. The successful person will usually bow out and go where his/her talents and skills are appreciated.

Similarly, you have the successful people constantly yabbering on about their goals and dreams. This annoys the unsuccessful people to no end. They can’t stand it. They’ll often try to “help” the successful people by cautioning them about negative outcomes. But successful people aren’t phased and continue to press on anyway. The unsuccessful person can’t keep up and ducks out.

Attitude

Being successful or unsuccessful isn’t about how much money or status you’ve achieved. It’s an internal quality. It’s your attitude.

I’ve met people who have a lot of money, but their attitude toward successful people is so negative, they repel such people everywhere they go. I’ve also met people who are dead broke, but they easily attract highly successful mentors to help them out, and it isn’t long before their external world begins to reflect their inner truth.

When you harbor negative feelings toward successful people, you push success away. When you harbor positive feelings toward them, your own success draws nearer.

I’ve seen a very basic form of this advice in many books on wealth and success. You’ve probably encountered it as well. It goes something like, “If you hate wealthy and successful people, you’ll never be one of them because you won’t allow yourself to become something you hate.”

There’s some truth to that, but I think it’s easier to see why it works when you view it through the lens of subjective reality. Since your relationships are all in your mind, your relationship towards any particular class of people is a reflection of your relationship with whatever those people represent to you.

This means that you can understand your relationship to success by exploring your relationships with the most successful people in your reality.

Are the most successful people in your life close to you? Do you count them among your dearest friends? Or are they way off in the distance somewhere?

Do you love successful people? Do you speak highly of them? Do you feel loved and appreciated by them? Or do you shun them? Do they shun you? Do you move in totally different circles?

Who do you think is responsible for that?

A simple exercise

Select a person you regard as very successful. It doesn’t matter if you’ve actually met the person.

Take a few minutes to write down your thoughts about this person, including what you like and don’t like. Then read back what you wrote as if you’ve been writing about your own relationship to success.

I think you’ll find this exercise very insightful.

What if you’ve never even met the other person? How can you possibly know what they’re like? Where is your attitude really coming from? Your own beliefs about success are filtering it.

Seeing it from the other side

Have you ever been told that someone you’ve never met holds a certain attitude toward you. “Joe absolutely adores you; he talks about you all the time.” “Mary thinks you’re a loser; she talks about you behind your back.”

Does it strike you as odd that people could form such strong opinions about you without actually meeting you?

I get this all the time as a blogger. Lots of people hold strong opinions about me, but the ones with the strongest opinions have never even met me. To back up their opinions, they select a few clips to support their opinion from the nearly 2 million words I’ve written. Of course they’re really selecting to match their beliefs about whatever I represent to them, perhaps their own relationship to personal growth since that’s what I write about.

I’ve noticed that people who hold a low opinion of personal development will invariably hold similar thoughts toward me. I’m lame or stupid because of what I represent to them. Those who love personal development and have a strong relationship with their own growth tend to feel good about me. I’m helpful or brilliant because of what I represent.

I’m just using this as a general example. To a lot of people I represent growth and change because that’s what I write about, so this is the role people assign me in their reality. But of course it could be something entirely different. It’s your reality, so you assign the roles.

What do I represent in your reality? Can you see how your attitude toward me is a reflection of your attitude toward whatever I represent? Is it possible you’re assigning qualities to me that may be inaccurate and that your opinion might shift if we had a face-to-face conversation?

How to become more successful

If you wish to become more successful, then work on improving your relationship with the most successful people in your life.

Forgive them. Befriend them. Love them. Do whatever it takes.

Forgive, love, and befriend the part of yourself that wants to have a positive connection to success.

This doesn’t mean hanging out with people whose values and morals disgust you. Just loosen your grip on some of your criticisms. Realize that successful people are human.

Notice what blocks come up. What is it about highly successful people that really bugs you?

For example, if you get caught up in thinking about their character and personality flaws, what does that say about you? Does it mean that in order for you to have a close relationship with success, you must be perfect? Is that realistic? Can you see that you’re always going to repel success with that attitude because you’ll never be perfect?

I’ve seen this happen with some of my long-term readers. I write hundreds of articles they love, but as soon as I write about that one hot-button issue where we have a difference of opinion, they send me a nasty email and tell me I’ve lost them forever, despite numerous breakthroughs they previously thanked me profusely for helping them achieve. This often happens when they’re getting close to success in their own lives, but they aren’t ready for it.

Do you expect every teacher or mentor to be perfect? Do you expect to see eye-to-eye in every situation? Will you run away forever if someone challenges you in a way you don’t like?

Is this how you’d like to see other people deal with your success? Do you want them to put you on a pedestal, to analyze your every action, to expect perfection from you at all times?

Or would you prefer to be treated like a human being, accepted and loved as you are? Is this how you relate to the successful people in your life?

What if you believe that successful people are greedy? Do you ever complain that they should donate more to charity? What does that say about you? Are you more greedy than you realize but secretly resentful of your own selfishness? Do you feel you should be donating more than you are?

What do you think about enjoying the rewards of success? Can you feel good when some celebrity rewards themselves? Do you feel guilty about rewarding yourself with a treat now and then? Or do you feel good about it, knowing that rewarding yourself helps motivate you to create even more value for others?

Becoming congruent with success

We all have blocks that keep us out of harmony with our great potential. The people in our lives are always reflecting that inner attitude back to us.

To fix the inner attitude problem, you must at some point admit that you were wrong and forgive yourself for it.

“I was wrong about so-and-so. Perhaps he isn’t such a bad guy after all. Maybe he’s just human. I will do my best to love and accept him as he is.”

You can extend what I’ve said about success to any quality or character trait. Your feelings toward sexy people reflects your relationship with your own sexiness. Your feelings toward healthy people reflects your relationship with health. Your feelings toward rich people reflects your relationship with wealth. Your feelings toward creative people reflects your relationship with your own creativity. Your feelings toward highly productive people reflects your relationship with productivity. Your feelings toward highly spiritual people reflects your relationship with spirituality.

How do you feel about psychics? Are you skeptical? Do you feel they’re all frauds and charlatans? Do you harbor serious doubts about their so-called gifts? If so, does it surprise you that your own psychic senses are virtually nonexistent? Do you wonder why your intuition is so cloudy that you can never trust it?

On the other hand, do you feel that psychics are loving people with a special gift to share? Do you accept their guidance with gratitude? Is it any wonder that you’re also able to gain much value from your own intuitive and psychic senses? Do other people comment on how gifted you are?

If you hate or distrust certain people, you’re pushing away that part of yourself. If you love and accept certain people, you’re in harmony with that part of yourself.

You can massively accelerate your personal growth by tweaking these relationships consciously and deliberately. It’s all in your mind anyway.

As within, so without

When you make the inner adjustment, your external world will shift to reflect the inner change.

Recently I did some inner work on my attitude towards certain people. My block had to do with people who spend money on nonessentials, sometimes as a way of rewarding themselves. Spending money on nonessential items would usually make me feel uncomfortable, even if I could easily afford it.

Erin and I had a 13-year old couch in our home that was ripped in a couple places and pretty ratty looking. One of the built-in recliners was broken. She’d been talking about getting a new couch for at least a couple years, probably longer, but I always blocked her. “This couch is fine. We don’t need to spend money on a new one.” We had plenty of money though, and a new couch wouldn’t make a serious dent in our finances. She tried to get us to go couch shopping a few times, but I rejected her choices. There was always something wrong with them.

After doing some inner work on my attitude toward spending money and enjoying the rewards of success, I was able to get past this block. We went couch shopping and were helped by an exceedingly gregarious and non-pushy salesman. We shopped with an attitude of positive expectancy and soon found the perfect couch for our space. We also found some great recliner chairs and small tables for one of our upstairs rooms, and we bought those too.

When we got home, Erin posted an ad on Craigslist to offer our old couch for free to anyone who was willing to pick it up. We would have donated it to charity, but most charities wouldn’t take it. Erin got about 40 replies to her ad in 24 hours, and we gave the old couch to some people who were grateful to squeeze more life out of it.

I’m very much enjoying the new couch and chairs. In retrospect it seems like such a silly block to have. The solution was that I had to reassess my attitude toward people who use their money to reward themselves. I went from “What a waste of money; do they really need a new X?” to “Great to see people enjoying the rewards of success; they certainly deserve it!” Once I shifted my attitude toward others, my inner relationship with that aspect of abundance also changed. And soon my external reality came into harmony with the new attitude.

Even working through small blocks can bring more success into your life, sometimes in unexpected ways. Around the same time I was working through this block, some new interview requests came in. Later this month Deepak Chopra will be interviewing me for his radio show, and next month Jack Canfield is scheduled to interview me as well. Did they appear on my radar as a result of my inner shift?

Who are the people you hate most in your life? Who are the people you love most? Can you admit that your attitude toward those people is going to have to change if you want to change your relationship with what they represent?

Can you see that if you harbor ill feelings toward the top performers in your field, you’ll never become a top performer yourself?

Before posting this article, I asked Erin to give it a quick read. When she was done, she asked me, “How do you feel about people who have decent patio furniture?”

What, those losers???

Achieve new breakthroughs in your habits, career, finances, relationships, health, and spiritual development. Register now to attend the transformational 3-day Conscious Growth Workshop in Las Vegas, January 15-17, 2010.

© 2009 by Steve Pavlina.

The question posed was: What’s it like to enjoy financial abundance in real life?

Honestly it’s pretty much the same thing you’d experience in a virtual game world when your character has a lot of gold.

When you have an abundance of gold, the nature of the game changes, doesn’t it?

First, the price of items becomes less important because you can afford anything you want. You’re less likely to whine, “I can’t afford that!” If you have a million gold pieces and you’re earning a thousand more each day, would you fuss about whether a potion costs 10 gold or 50 gold? You don’t even have to think about it. What’s cheap and what’s expensive is relative to your assets, income, and mindset.

Second, in some ways the game becomes more fun, but in other ways it could be less fun. Your financial resources give you an edge. Your character is less limited and has more possibilities. It’s easy for you to secure equipment, lodging, transportation, etc. It’s easy to help out other characters. But you may have to change the way you play to keep it fun and engaging. In the beginning it was challenging just to acquire gold, but now that you have so much, adding more to your stash may not be as exciting as it once was. You’ll probably become more interested in other aspects of the game, such as socializing with the other players. The game becomes more of a social challenge than a financial one. This is an oversimplification, but my point is that when you have a lot of resources, your focus shifts away from acquiring more and toward something else that interests you and keeps the game fun. If the game stops being fun, you’ll probably think about quitting.

Third, your social interactions with the other characters may change when you have more gold. When you’re rich you can do more to help out other players, like buying them equipment and supplies. Some people may appreciate the help. But for others it may not be a good thing. If someone is new to the game, and you artificially advance them, you may rob them of the early learning experiences, so they may be a significantly worse level 30 player than someone who bootstrapped his/her way up from the bottom. You may also rob them of the fun of overcoming the game’s challenges via trial and error. However, when an experienced player is starting fresh with a new character, it makes more sense to give them some aid because repeating the early levels probably won’t do much for them. It takes time to develop the wisdom to make financially and socially sound decisions, and not everyone will be pleased with your choices.

You may want to protect your gold because it took a lot of work to earn it, but you needn’t be overly afraid of losing it because you know you could earn it back if necessary. This assumes you earned it in the first place. I’ve found that this is the same with many people in real life. Those who are very skilled at earning money usually aren’t too afraid of losing it, but those who aren’t very good at earning money become more clingy and tight with what they have because they don’t feel confident in their ability to earn it back quickly. The high achievers are still protective of their assets, but they don’t live in fear of a big loss if they trust themselves; when they do succumb to playing too tight, the game becomes less fun, and they lose their drive and ambition.

I wouldn’t say that the game is always better when you have a lot of gold, but in many ways it is. If you really enjoy the challenge of acquiring gold, then the early levels can be a lot of fun. If you remain in a state of financial scarcity for too long, however, you’ll limit your avatar’s growth. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy interesting growth experiences while in a state of financial scarcity, but the game typically gets boring, repetitive, or frustrating if you stay there too long. To keep it fun and interesting, you need to progress to different kinds of challenges.

If you’ve been stuck in a state of financial scarcity for longer than you’d like, it means you haven’t yet put in the time to master one of real life’s wealth building strategies. There are many to choose from, so pick a strategy that’s fun for you, and run with it until you get good at it.

You can create stuff and sell it. You can be a trader (buy low, sell high). You can get paid to support and/or optimize other people’s wealth building systems. You can acquire income-generating and/or appreciating assets. You can bring people together for lucrative deals in exchange for a fair cut. You can become a performer or entertainer. Real life has more wealth building opportunities than all the virtual worlds combined.

What causes people to get stuck in financial scarcity?

How would you become financially stuck in a game world?

Basically you need to avoid doing those things that will bring in the gold.

For example, you could avoid going on income-generating quests. Stick with non income-generating activities like walking around aimlessly or socializing with other characters. This could still be fun and interesting, but don’t expect to get paid for it.

Many times people will use the phrase “I don’t know what to do” in order to justify their financial scarcity.

So you’re going broke because you don’t know what to do? Is that accurate? Your problems would be easily solved if you only knew what to do? All your financial problems can be traced back to not knowing what to do?

Seriously?

Is it perhaps more accurate to say that you’re using this as an excuse to avoid accepting one or more of the quests that are RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE?

I don’t think I’ve ever met someone that claimed they didn’t know what to do who wasn’t butt up against the most obvious solution, staring them right in the face the whole time. They claim ignorance in order to prevent themselves from having to face that solution, which is often quite clear to everyone around them. They think that other people are actually buying their excuse, but the reality is that there’s a whole gossip network around the person where friends and family keep asking, “Why won’t s/he just do X?” But after dealing with years of denial, it’s too hard for friends and family to be straight with that person and lay out the plain and simple truth because they expect the truth would kill the relationship.

If you’re one of those people who goes around saying “I don’t know what to do,” please believe me when I tell you that no one around you actually believes your story. You’re more transparent than you realize. To other people it just sounds like pointless whining.

If you’re playing a game and you don’t know how to earn gold, how would you figure it out? Is the solution to walk around complaining, “I don’t know what to do”?

No, that would be stupid. You’d never do something like that, would you?

How could you figure out what to do?

You could start by reading the game’s instruction manual.

You could ask the other players who have a lot of gold or even a moderate amount of gold for advice. Chances are that anyone who has more gold than you has more of a clue than you do. If you really want to earn a lot of gold, make a study of how the game’s resource system works. Try different ways of earning gold. Read books about gold mining. Experiment. Discover through trial and error what works best for you.

But for goodness sakes, if you sit around whining “I don’t know what to do” while other characters are happily earning gold, don’t be surprised when the armory guy comes to strip you of your sword and chain mail for being late on your payments.

Choosing good quests

To create a wealthy avatar, accept quests that will earn you some gold. Invest your time and energy into those quests, and you’ll acquire gold.

This is an oversimplification because in real life there’s more financial risk than in most games. Virtually anyone can get rich in a game world simply by playing long enough.

Let’s consider some possible ways to choose a quest that will earn you some gold.

How about letting your parents or family decide for you?

Perhaps your family really wants you to become a healer because they know that healing pays big bucks. So they strongly encourage you to go to shaman school. You also believe that’s a good way to earn a lot of gold, but you really don’t want to be a healer. You don’t think it would be fun for you. Should you ignore your feelings and take their advice?

Only if you’re a total loon.

The point of the game is to have fun, right? So why on Azeroth would you try to acquire gold by committing to a long-term quest that you don’t expect will be fun? What will happen? You’ll become bored and frustrated, and you’ll soon want to quit. You’ll waste everyone’s time and disappoint those who are counting on you.

Even if you can force yourself to succeed on this path, you’ll end up hating your life. It will become a total grind. So what if you earn a million gold. Will spending it be any consolation for the sorry state of your emotional life?

It’s okay to go on a short and dull mini-quest every once in a while, and that may be a necessary step for advancement sometimes. But if the bulk of your time is spent doing stuff you don’t enjoy, the solution is obvious: quit and start over on a different path. And don’t bemoan how far you’ve traveled down the wrong path. Let it be game over.

What if you accept only those quests that you expect will be the most fun?

That would certainly be interesting. You’d be enjoying the game and having a good time.

But maybe some of those quests wouldn’t earn you any gold. Maybe you’d even have to pay for some of the experiences you’d like to have. Eventually you would get bored by the limited options available to you, and you’d feel anxious to progress to something more rewarding.

This hedonistic approach might work in certain games where every roaming monster carries a purse (yet you never see those monsters shopping in any of the stores), but it often falls flat in real life. Every analogy has its limits, so we have to be careful not to stretch this one too far.

Is there a better approach?

What if you played the game with the goal of balancing having fun and acquiring gold? Surely there are plenty of quests you could accept that would be (1) fun and interesting, and (2) profitable.

From time to time you might do quests that are fun but not profitable, or profitable but not fun, or neither profitable nor fun. But suppose you aim to spend 80% of your game time on quests that are both fun and profitable.

Could you do it?

Could you do that in real life?

After all, you’re the one who chooses the quests. And there’s a virtually limitless supply of quests available.

Writing this article is a mini-quest for me. I love writing, so it’s fun for me to do this. This particular article probably won’t be very profitable, but it could generate some extra traffic over the years, and I earn gold from web traffic in a variety of ways. Maybe I’ll even sell a few more instruction manuals.

The point is that you’re the one who’s choosing these quests, aren’t you? So if you’re not having fun, whose fault is that?

I don’t want to see you blaming yourself for picking lame quests, but it would make your life a lot better if you realized you’re the one who’s responsible for making those choices.

Sometimes the bad guy forces a quest on you, one that you wouldn’t have chosen for yourself. When that happens, just accept it and get through the quest as quickly as you can. And remember that it’s still supposed to be fun.

Skill building

Just as there’s an element of skill to playing games, there’s also an element of skill to earning gold in real life.

Some players just plain suck at it, don’t they?

If you’re one of those sucky players, what’s the solution? You need to find a way to suck less.

This means learning how to capitalize on your strengths and shore up your weaknesses.

Where is your character strong? Are you good at vanquishing monsters? Casting spells? Healing people? Motivating and inspiring your guild? Set yourself up in a role that plays to your strengths as much as possible. Do more of what you’re good at and less of what you’re bad at.

What about your weaknesses? Where are the chinks in your armor? How can you work around them? Can you educate yourself to become a better player? Can you recruit teammates whose strengths will compensate for your weaknesses? Most likely you’ll need a blend of training and recruiting. Make your avatar as good as you can, but recognize that you’ll still need help if you want to achieve your full potential.

Decide how you’re going to develop your character. If you’re a warrior at heart, don’t go to mage school. If you’re a cleric at heart, don’t study lock picking. Train yourself to take better advantage of your strengths.

If you can’t decide what kind of character you’d like to be, then make any choice and start pursuing it. You’ll find out soon enough if you chose wrong, and then you can go back and start fresh with a new character and develop yourself along a different line. Often this is the only way you’ll learn what your true strengths are. You may have to try on several gauntlets that don’t fit in order to find the one that fits you like a glove.

When I played computer role-playing games, I almost always chose to be the fighter guy. I wasn’t into casting spells or doing stealthy maneuvers. I didn’t like to be subtle or sneaky. I was the kick-ass warrior guy who’d run into a group of monsters and start wailing on them. I must have thought RPG and FPS were synonyms.

Even when I did pen and paper role-playing, my favorite characters to play were the fearless warrior types. One of my favorite characters to play was called The Tackler. His special power was that he was exceptionally good at running headlong into groups of enemies and tackling them to the ground.

Often I like to control my real-life avatar in a similar manner. When communicating with people, I tend to be very direct and forthright. I’m not very subtle or sensitive. I’m disgusted by people who gossip behind people’s backs. Is this the only way to play the game of life? Of course not. I like playing this type of character though, and when I try to behave too differently, it doesn’t feel right; it feels like I’m out of sync with my avatar.

Recruiting teammates

In an MMORPG, it’s pretty hard to get ahead by playing solo because your options are more limited. Bigger teams can tackle bigger challenges and earn bigger prizes. Teammates can help compensate for each other’s individual weaknesses. The social experience of interacting with other players and working together as a cohesive unit makes the game more fun.

As my primary teammate, I have Erin, who loves to play the healer. She’s the perfect complement for my avatar. I run in first and get beat up, and she keeps me alive and tends to my wounds so I can return for another round. We’ve accomplished some interesting real-life goals this way.

Interacting with teammates can also help you develop a more well-rounded avatar without losing your sharp edge.

For example, sometimes I’m too aggressive, and I have to learn to tone it down a notch. Years ago, Erin and I were playing the MMORPG game City of Heroes. I played a martial arts scrapper character (a tough fighter who inflicts a lot of damage), and she played a healer. While waiting for our teammates to arrive before embarking on a mission, I grew impatient and decided to run in solo and get a head start on bashing enemies. Erin’s character remained in the street waiting for the rest of our group. She sees me enter a warehouse filled with enemies, and about 30 seconds later, my character comes running out the door and immediately falls flat on his face at her feet — dead. With my last virtual breath, I typed, “Do NOT go in there!”

How can you recruit teammates to help you out in real life? It’s pretty much the same process you use in a game, albeit a bit less structured. Simply talk to people and invite them to do something fun and profitable with you.

That’s how I recruited people to help out with my computer games business many years ago. I found people I thought would be a good fit for the team, and I asked them, “Hey, would you like to…?” Then we had a conversation about the possibilities of working together. I don’t recall looking at many resumes. I just asked around. These days it’s how I do joint-venture partnerships. It usually starts with a line like, “Hey, what do you think about this idea…”

That’s how I started my latest mastermind group. I asked someone to join it, and he said yes. It’s only three people so far, but it’s off to a good start. It’s a small team where we all help each other succeed. We had our third meeting recently, and all of us have benefited from it. Each of us is strong in areas where the others are weak.

Don’t think you have to go it alone. Financial abundance is easier to achieve when you make it a social adventure, not a solo pursuit. You’ll probably find that the social aspects make it more fun. Isn’t it more interesting to tackle one of those dragons as a team instead of trying to take it on all by yourself? The best part of going on quests is the fascinating people you meet along the way.

Courage

Courage is an essential element for going on quests because good quests, especially those that are very lucrative, often involve some risk. You might die. You might get robbed. You might encounter a puzzle you can’t solve and get frustrated.

So why do people take on those risks? Why do people keep fighting dragons and risking their character’s lives to do it?

Mainly because it’s a lot of fun. To play sheepishly makes the game boring and pointless. It’s better to play full out and risk death now and then.

Nobody wants to get their character killed. But they understand it’s a possible outcome, and they accept it. In the grand scheme of things, getting your virtual character killed is a minor setback.

It takes practice to find the right balance between playing too fast and loose versus playing too tight and timid. With practice you’ll settle on a strategy that works for you.

How’s your real life strategy working for you? Have you achieved the proper balance between courage and safety?

Most of the time, people play their real life characters way too tight and timid. Yes, some people are on the fast and loose side, but if you’re reading this article, it’s a safe bet that isn’t your problem.

In real life people often exaggerate their fears. They run from things that are largely imaginary. I mean… how often do you have to risk death to acquire financial abundance these days? I guess that depends on where you live and what type of work you’re doing. But where I live most people who choose to become wealthy can do so without substantially increasing their risk of death by dragon’s breath.

What’s the truth of your situation? Are you exerting the right amount of courage? Are you taking reasonable risks, or are you playing too tight?

Courage is what keeps you in the sweet spot of having fun. Courage isn’t something you are or something you have. It’s something you do. When you do courage, the game is fun. Real life is fun.

When you see a quest that scares you but also excites you, that’s the best kind of quest to accept. Those are the really fun ones.

What are some of the quests that are right in front of you, waiting to be accepted? Have you been avoiding them because they require courage? If a quest requires courage, that’s exactly why you should accept it. It will be fun!

Your wealthy avatar

The hardest part of building a wealthy avatar is adopting the right mindset. This is the mindset that people naturally adopt when they enjoy a role-playing game. The point of the game is to have fun and to advance your character. If you’re not having fun, and other people are, you’re probably doing something wrong. If you’ve been playing for a month and you’re still stuck at level 3, you’re probably doing something wrong. You’re one of those clueless newbies who just doesn’t get it.

When you have the right mindset, and you keep playing the game, it’s only a matter of time before you have a wealthy avatar. Sure you’ll have a few setbacks along the way, and your expectations won’t always be met. But if you apply a sound strategy that fits the rules of the game and meshes well with the social landscape, in the long run you can expect to succeed.

Your financial challenges aren’t there to beat you down. They’re important training exercises. Your financial problems are solvable, but in order to solve them you must learn and follow the rules of the game. Are you following those rules, or are you violating them? Are you spending more than you earn? Are you racking up debt instead of creating value? Are you wasting your time on quests that aren’t fun and profitable? Are you ducking the challenging quests that are staring you in the face because you’re scared? Are you trying to do everything alone instead of building or joining a cool team?

Achieve new breakthroughs in your habits, career, finances, relationships, health, and spiritual development. Register now to attend the transformational 3-day Conscious Growth Workshop in Las Vegas, January 15-17, 2010.

© 2009 by Steve Pavlina.

Rebecca used Site Build It! to create her website. Since many people are curious about what kind of real-world results can be achieved with Site Build It!, I asked her if she’d be willing to share specific traffic and income figures from her business’ first year online, and thankfully she agreed. I think you’ll find her results encouraging.

If you aren’t familiar with lucid dreaming, a lucid dream is a dream where you become consciously aware that you’re dreaming. With practice you can learn to do all sorts of amazing things in lucid dreams — fly like Superman, wield a light saber, jump around like Trinity in The Matrix, create dream characters out of thin air, move objects by thought, defeat the Kobayashi Maru, and lots more. Erin and I are both experienced lucid dreamers.

Enjoy the interview…

1. Why did you create World of Lucid Dreaming?

I wanted to get out of the rat race. When I left school I fell into the financial sector and before long, I found myself working a stressful city Editor job. I told myself it was worth it because it stretched my mind and the money would go a long way. By my mid-20s I came to realize that life isn’t about creating stress and drama, so I emigrated to the tranquil shores of New Zealand with my Kiwi partner.

I knew straight away I wasn’t going to rejoin the rat race here in Auckland. So I decided to become self employed, trading on my writing skills. It was a much better lifestyle working for myself, but the income was sporadic. When the credit crisis turned the industry upside down, it put the nail in the coffin for my investment writing. I decided to find a new niche.

That’s when I heard about Site Build It and discovered I could build a profitable online business based on my own life experience, no matter how little technical knowledge I possessed. And so World of Lucid Dreaming was born from my desire to be financially secure on my own terms, to work a job I am passionate about, and to be free from corporate slavery.

2. Can you share some stats on how your site is doing in terms of traffic and income generation? How did these figures change over time?

My site went live in June 2008 with 20 or so content pages and averaged 76 visitors per day. By July, it was time to start monetizing that traffic. I added my first two income streams: Google AdSense (which I would later drop for more lucrative affiliate partners) and Mind Sync (a seller of MP3s which puts your brain in an optimum state for lucid dreaming). I made $60 that first month. That may not seem like much but to me it meant my website was a viable income generator. Site Build It worked!

After that, World of Lucid Dreaming grew quickly. Site Build It warned me about “the hump” – but it never came. I did everything by the book: writing quality articles, putting my own personality into the site, building an online presence, and all the rest. It helped that I loved every minute – I was creating something new and unique and if I did it right, I would never have to work for anyone else again. I couldn’t ask for much more motivation.

By early 2009, Alexa had ranked my website in the top 0.3% globally. My average daily visitors had climbed to 750 (more than 20,000 hits per month). That’s some snowball effect in just over six months. SBI showed me how to monetize those visitors and in the month of January my monthly income topped $1,000 – a landmark event for me. I knew that if I could earn $1k from my website, I could earn $2k, $3k, or $4k a month. Even if I maxed out the potential for World of Lucid Dreaming, I could create another website in exactly the same way. I was delighted.

[SP: These are excellent results, Rebecca, and you have every reason to be optimistic about future growth. By comparison it took a year for StevePavlina.com to pass $1K per month in revenue, with Google Adsense being the main source of income. One year later it hit $41K in one month. That was obviously an exciting year.

Once you get the hang of traffic building and monetization, rapid growth is possible. The key is to be consistent and keep doing what's working, while continuing to experiment to test new ideas.]

3. What specific strategies do you use to generate income from your website? Which ones have been the most effective for you?

I currently make all of my income through affiliate programs. Once I find a good value product – usually one that directly aids lucid dreaming – I test it out and write a review on my website. I use my unique affiliate link so I earn money when people decide to buy it through my site. Sometimes I can offer special discounted prices which adds further value to my readers. I raise interest in these product reviews by posting banner ads around the rest of the site. I’ve even begun designing my own graphics which is fun – the creative process never ends for me!

I’m signed up with about a dozen affiliate programs for World of Lucid Dreaming. These include brainwave entrainment recordings, “how to” books and videos, and natural herbs to increase awareness and dream recall. My first e-book (Lucid Fiction) is underway and should be selling on site by July. I also plan to distribute this via affiliate marketplaces like ClickBank, so that other webmasters can do the selling and help me reach a wider audience.

My best selling products are brainwave entrainment MP3s created by affiliate partners. Binaural beats and hypnosis really helped my early quest for lucid dreaming and these MP3s have numerous other applications as well. Through my affiliate partners, you can buy MP3s for deep meditation, astral projection, out of body experiences, ESP, remote viewing, chakra healing, manifestation, and so much more. The seller tracks all links from my site for up to 90 days, so I earn profits from any future sales too.

Crucially, I don’t stock or sell any tangible goods myself. An online business is about making money with minimal ongoing costs. A traditional business might have to fund staff salaries, growing office space, wholesale goods, storage, packaging, posting, and resolving customer queries. In contrast, an online business like mine can generate high margin profits simply by recommending products and taking away a commission. Once I publish a product recommendation, the profits come in on autopilot, earning me passive income 24/7.

[SP: I discovered that a similar strategy works well for me too. Today most of my income is from sales commissions from product recommendations. When you have high traffic and can generate many sales for your partners, you can also negotiate custom deals for higher commissions and better terms, especially if your partners have strong back-end sales and don't need to see a high profit on the first sale.]

4. Why did you use Site Build It! to create your business? What has it done for you?

I chose Site Build It because it takes away the scary technical bits about website building, and leaves me in charge of the creative stuff. Before World of Lucid Dreaming began, words like RSS, pings, trackbacks and SEO meant nothing to me. The idea of starting an online business was all too overwhelming and not worth the risks associated with technical failure.

Site Build It virtually eliminated all that risk, because it told me exactly what to do, day by day, in order to build a profitable website. First I used the brainstorming tool to find a profitable niche, based on a number of my own passions and life experiences. Then I planed my site structure, researching article ideas with the optimum keywords. Then I designed my custom template with SBI’s point-and-click tools (although I would later get a re-design by Cre8ve Media). After that, I learned how to write for the web, how to pre-sell, how to create value, how to monetize visitors, and many more tricks for success.

I could go on about Site Build It for ages! Suffice to say that if you’re thinking about starting a website or blog – and you don’t already have the extensive knowledge required to succeed in online business – then make this a serious consideration. During the 10-day course I learned everything I needed to know in order to succeed. SBI simplified the whole process and even outsourced the most technical bits for me, like submitting my site to Search Engines, or pinging them when I posted a new article. And since I was committed to the project, it guaranteed my success. So Site Build It is not merely a blogging platform like WordPress or Blogger. It’s a complete guide to successful online business. (And it caters to internet dummies!)

5. Why did you select lucid dreaming as your site’s main focus? What related topics does your site address?

I discovered lucid dreaming when I was 14 and have been consciously exploring my dreams ever since. But I wasn’t what you’d call a natural lucid dreamer – I had to go through a process of learning, making lots of mistakes along the way. And that gave me tremendous insight. So now I know what rookie mistakes people make and how to avoid them. I know the coolest things to try in your first lucid dreams. I know what reality checks work better than others. I understand the potential of lucid dreaming and how it can affect our lives. That is my edge: inside knowledge – and passion.

So when Site Build It told me to write a list of all my hobbies, interests and areas of expertise, lucid dreaming was pretty high up. I also considered making a site about stock market investing as well as numerous travel related sites. I plugged all these potentials into Site Build It and each niche idea was given a score, based on the extent of my knowledge, passion, popularity and monetization potential.

Lucid dreaming came out top – and from then on I knew I couldn’t go wrong with it. Most bloggers don’t even consider this kind of concept examination, they just pick a topic that “feels right” and start writing. Unfortunately, not all niches are a good idea; they may be oversaturated or too obscure. Lucid dreaming is perfect for me because I am very enthusiastic about it and the concept is timeless – meaning people will still be searching for “how to lucid dream” in 5, 10, or 20 years’ time.

What’s more, the concept of lucid dreaming stems from a host of other subjects. I can write on a range of subjects while staying true to my niche, including human consciousness, dreams, psychology, self awareness, altered states of consciousness, meditation, astral projection, out of body experiences, dream yoga and Tibetan philosophies. While I fulfilled my original site plan some months ago, I am still struck by new article ideas all the time. It’s a wonderful topic of exploration.

[SP: It's awesome to create an online business based on something you're passionate about because then you have even more reasons to "play." For example, I can now justify my crazy growth experiments as research.

You raised a key point when you mentioned timeless content. If you focus on creating timeless content, your archives will retain their value. If you create mostly time-bound content, your archives become obsolete as they age. It's best to create assets that won't depreciate.

It's great that you picked a niche that gives you room to grow horizontally. You can also go vertical by producing your own books, home study courses, DVDs, teleseminars, webinars, and even live events, should you so desire.]

6. What are some key lessons you learned during your first year of running World of Lucid Dreaming?

The single most important lesson that World of Lucid Dreaming has taught me is this: anything is possible. I never dreamed that I could earn a living this way – I always thought that real money came from a stressful office job and you couldn’t have one without the other. While this thought was always niggling at the back of my mind, I stayed true to the lessons of Site Build It. I kept moving forward, delighted by the little things that showed my site was becoming a success. Too many people give up on SBI because they get bored or lose motivation. I couldn’t let that happen to me. And now that I’m earning my living from it, doing something I love every day, I have gained proof that you CAN have your cake and eat it.

I learned many new skills through Site Build It, like writing for the internet – something my job as an Editor never taught me. It’s a completely different way of relating to people. And it’s actually very easy. The ground rule is: Keep It Simple, Stupid (KISS). If you read my site you’ll see I’m hardly Shakespeare. I just write like I’m talking to a friend, and that’s all. SBI has a free e-book called Make Your Content Pre-Sell which explains this technique in detail. I think this is also what makes my site accessible to a broad audience – I have everyone from teenagers and retirees writing to me, and they all “get it”.

I also learned that I am not Wikipedia. I started out writing generic factual articles, indistinguishable from hundreds of other “how to” web pages. So I sat down with the SBI e-book on writing for the web, and I began injecting my own personality into my words, introducing real life experiences. It really brought the site to life, helping me connect with my readers better.

[SP: Something I learned in Toastmasters was the adage, "Make a point; tell a story." It's best if the stories are your own. This helps you create content that appeals to both left-brained and right-brained readers. Some people just want the straight-up information; others prefer to extract their own insights from stories.]

7. What have been the major contributing factors in making your online business successful?

Traffic, traffic, traffic! Without people landing on my website, it would be nothing. No-one would benefit from the value I’m creating, and in turn I wouldn’t benefit from their custom. It would be a 100% failure.

Thankfully, I learned how to generate plenty of free traffic through SBI’s techniques. I dabbled with Google AdWords (pay per click advertising) but without becoming a PPC guru, I had no hope. It was better to focus my efforts on free traffic techniques and that is where all of my website traffic comes from today.

I should add that you need to pick a high demand concept to begin with. Traffic doesn’t materialize out of nowhere; people have to be looking for you in the first place. Lucid dreaming has that strong demand, and catches the imagination of quite a broad spectrum of people. When I tell someone they can become self aware in their dreams – so that everything looks and feels as real as waking life – most people respond with “Really?? How!?”

That leads to the second advantage of my site concept. Everyone thinks lucid dreaming sounds awesome, but not many people can actually do it. I can tackle that with a “how to” approach on site and teach people what they want to know in order to improve their lives. Having that practical element encourages people to return to my site and learn the next step. It also opens plenty of doors for monetization.

Motivation is also a major contributor to success. I’m the type of person who has a great idea and gets really excited about it, but then gets bored because it takes too long to finish. I can’t tell you how many novels I’ve started writing and left off at chapter four! And so the concept of Site Build It is to give you a step-by-step framework without feeling overloaded, which is an enormous advantage. I could never give up when I had the next day’s instructions right in front of me. Ultimately, Site Build It made the difference between a barren two-page blog that I would delete a few months later, and a profitable online business that has changed my life.

8. What is some of the most popular content on your website? What value does it offer people?

Many people are keen to learn about brainwave entrainment and how it can help them improve their lives. I have several articles explaining how binaural beats work and reviewing my favorite CDs/MP3s. My readers trust my opinion because I only recommend products that have actually helped me achieve lucidity. I also make a lot of sales of other entrainment tracks like astral projection and meditation MP3s. This is excellent because practicing one often helps the other. People who meditate regularly (i.e. enter altered states of awareness on demand) improve their ability to relax deeply, visualize dream scenes, communicate with their inner voice, and question their self awareness. It’s ideal practice for lucid dreaming.

Another popular page is lucid dreaming techniques. These are all scientifically established methods of dream control, so I create value by explaining what works best for me and why. I also present the techniques in a user-friendly way – with no technical jargon or esoteric interpretations of the dream world. I haven’t found a free collection of lucid dreaming techniques like this anywhere else on the net. To get this kind of insight, you’d have to surf several different sites or buy a book on lucid dreaming. I give this all away for free to build further credibility with my readers.

[SP: This is a great example of creating value. Making ideas accessible can be a powerful benefit.]

9. You also have a second website called Improve Vision Naturally. Can you tell us about that site and how it’s been developing with traffic and monetization?

I was so excited about the success of World of Lucid Dreaming, I launched my second website, Improve Vision Naturally, in November 2008. I made it using all the principles of Site Build It, planning my site structure in advance, using effective pre-selling techniques, and putting my own personal experience into the site. I had been doing eye exercises to cure my nearsightedness earlier that year, so I already had a monetization strategy in mind – to sell the 30-day vision training course, Rebuild Your Vision.

The first month averaged 55 visitors per day and generated my first trickle of income – $32! Like World of Lucid Dreaming, it proved early on I had a concept that worked. Today, just over six months old, it generates $500 per month from one-off sales of Rebuild Your Vision and recurring monthly sales of Ocu Plus Formula eye vitamins. This website has so much potential but scaling up two websites at a time is proving a little too much for me. So I’ve decided to focus all my energies on World of Lucid Dreaming. In the meantime, Improve Vision Naturally continues to be an ongoing passive income earner.

[SP: The nice thing about having an online business is that it can generate income month after month even if it just sits there. There's no rule that says you have to work on it full-time.]

10. What are your expectations for the road ahead as online entrepreneur?

I want to advance both my websites as far as possible, creating value by translating my personal experiences and passing on the lessons I’ve learned. Now that I have taken the Site Build It concept and replicated it twice, I feel confident about my future earning potential in online business. I have ideas for my next infosite and am really excited by that. In time, I hope to have a fleet of SBI sites to my name, each delivering their individual income streams on autopilot. This will leave me free to pursue all the goals I want to in life, without worrying about having a steady 9 to 5 job or where that’s taking me.

[SP: Sounds like an awesome plan, Rebecca. There's no substitute for directing the course of your own life. :)]

11. What advice would you give to others who’d like to create their own online businesses?

Educate yourself in online business. Building a profitable website is not something you can do going in blind. So many people start a blog with the best intentions but when the traffic (or income) doesn’t appear, they let it fall by the wayside. If you want to start your own income generating website, I totally recommend Site Build It. You will learn everything you need to know to earn your living from it. In fact, if you follow the instructions and are motivated to keep going, I believe you can’t fail.

Lastly, check your personal beliefs about income generation. Most of my friends don’t know how I earn my living nowadays and if I told them I don’t think they’d believe me. It’s that kind of limiting belief that could break your spirit and make you give up before you’ve even started. Becoming self employed and earning a steady income from the internet is not an impossible dream. You just need to know how to succeed – and that’s exactly what Site Build It taught me.

[SP: As you discovered, some people have huge misconceptions about making money online. For example, people often get stuck fussing over the minor costs involved, trying to go as cheap as possible, but those who are succeeding think of those costs as no-brainer investments because they earn back many times more than what they spend. Perhaps the best advice is to learn from those who are already succeeding and ignore the opinions of those who've never done it.]

Thanks so much for agreeing to this interview, Rebecca. I’m sure many readers will find your success inspiring. I certainly do!

SP: If you want to learn more about lucid dreaming, World of Lucid Dreaming is an outstanding place to visit. The site is filled with great articles and tips to help you learn this amazing skill.

I also highly recommend using Site Build It! for building an online business. Rebecca certainly isn’t alone in achieving positive results with it. SBI is a great service that provides all the education, tools, and support you need to create a profitable online business. Watch the free video tour to learn how it works.

Where would you be today if you’d worked on your goals during the past year like Rebecca has done? Where do you want to be a year from now? It’s never too late to get started.

Achieve new breakthroughs in your habits, career, finances, relationships, health, and spiritual development. Register now to attend the transformational 3-day Conscious Growth Workshop in Las Vegas, January 15-17, 2010.

© 2009 by Steve Pavlina.