Greetings and thank you for reading! This Week In Peace chronicles the adventures of San Jose’s own Peace Dancer, Khalilah Ramirez. That's me, now writing. I am a performance artist/magical being whose work includes being a peaceful channel of electric sunshine through dance, then writing about the stunning events that unfold as a result of that intention. There are countless stories to tell after 12 years in this art form. To make the most of our time together, I will keep the stories focused on my ongoing theme of ‘practical, peaceful tools that we can all use.' Another time, when there is unlimited time, I will tell all about my opinions, emotions, relationships, fears and childhood adventures. JUST KIDDING! :-)
All joking aside, there are some serious situations happening in our world right now. Let’s look at our collective personal lives as an example: Let’s say a shelter in place order was issued in your city for the safety of the citizens and to protect our overall way of life. Suddenly, schools and facilities are closed. All day, you may have to stay indoors OR you may be going to work under stressful conditions with no end in sight. How can you ensure that the vital financial aspect of life keeps growing when opportunities seem to be shrinking? Based on the current needs of the collective, the focus of this week’s column is on W.E.A.L.T.H.
While it’s true that I fabricated this acronym for the purpose of writing this article, it’s effectiveness stands alone. These are easy wealth strategies that anyone can apply immediately. Simply put, they will translate into more money in your bank account, something we all need right now. It is important to note that these techniques are not metaphoric double speak picked up from the latest magazine. These are techniques that I have used in my own life to increase my funds. The only techniques I’m discussing here are the ones that actually worked for me, not the ones I failed at repeatedly, not the techniques that I heard other people say worked for them and not some “interesting” theories that sound good on paper. Deal? Here goes:
W stands for Willingness. The old ways of earning have been greatly reduced or have gone away completely. Step one to creating greater wealth was being willing to see things differently, do things differently and be different. For instance, one of the joys of my life has always been public performance. Once upon a time, I could post up anywhere, hang a sign with my handle on it, play music and start dancing. Like clockwork, people approached me and gave me money. In this new world, not so much. Streets and plazas are empty, to say nothing of the Downtown and the airport. I could count on one hand the number of people that pass by in an hour, whereas before, there were hundreds. I had to be willing to change with the times. How can you do things differently in your life to adapt to this new world? Brainstorm and write down whatever you come up with. Once you have a list, take action no matter how far fetched it seems. How do you know what action items to do first? That question brings us to our next letter.
E is for Enthusiasm! Excitement! Emotion! Electricity! If you are doing something that you are excited about, other people will get excited too. Enthusiasm brings life to your ideas. On the other hand, if you venture down your “willingness list” and choose something you dislike because someone else thinks it’s a good idea or because it’s what you think you should be doing, it won’t work as well. Get excited, get results!
A is for Abilities. What do you do well that you enjoy? Can you fix a car? Can you teach art or fitness? Can you cook? Sew? Take care of kids? The key is that it has to be something you are competent at AND that you enjoy. There is no need to be an expert. You just have to be willing to offer your gifts and talents to those who need them. Find those folks and text them today.
L, of course, is for Love. What does love have to do with wealth? Everything. If you love yourself, you will want the very best that life has to offer. If you love your family, you will desire to give them the best of yourself. If you love your community, you will want the best for everyone, not just for yourself. If we think poorly of ourselves or give ourselves negative messages, there will be no motivation inside of us to do anything, including making more money. Self love is a must. Many intelligent, resourceful people devalue themselves by thinking that they are insignificant. Lies! All of us matter. All of us are important. Yet we can expect very little from life if we do not learn to love and approve of ourselves. Actively loving and appreciating ourselves, other people, and the advantages that we already have in life is the only path to success. Without this, life feels like a continuous struggle in which everything in the universe is working against us. Practicing love and appreciation opens new opportunities. Besides, if we don’t love and appreciate the health, wealth, joy and provisions that we have now, how will we recognize our goals and dreams when they do arrive?
T is for tithing. To tithe means to give 10% of what you earn to the people, places or organizations that serve you, that feed your soul and spirit. I read about this concept for the first time back in January. It was in a book called “The 4 Spiritual Laws Of Prosperity” by Edwene Gaines. I was so outraged by this idea that I nearly threw the book across the room. “Give away 10% of my earnings, what?! That’s ridiculous, Edwene! How on Earth will that make me more money?”. However, in the spirit of total willingness, I really needed to try something drastic. Something that I had never done before. I committed myself to employing this provocative practice on every dollar I earned. To my utter shock, three months later, my income had doubled. I cannot pretend to understand this. All I know is that as a humble artist/educator, a financial increase of that magnitude definitely got my attention. I didn’t tithe to any religious organizations or priests because I don’t attend church. I tithed to whatever inspired me, whatever made my Spirit fly and lit up my soul. I didn’t tell anyone about this 10% concept for fear of sounding obtuse. Yet here I am now, telling everyone. Why? Because it worked. Opportunities to earn came from everywhere and I ate them all up!
Last but not least, we have H for Habits. H also stands for Hang In There! It will take persistence and determination to make These new W.E.A.L.T.H. routine stick. Make it a habit by practicing each day. If we want to be physically fit, one or two great workouts won’t do the trick. We need to hang in there. Habitual effort gets results. This goes for finances, relationships, physical fitness and anything else we can think of. Be patient with the prosperity process and know that change (AND dollars!) is in our hands as we display the tenacity it takes to rise above crazy circumstances like a pandemic. The most important habit that we can possibly acquire is belief in our own success, both as individuals and as a people. Once that little seed of belief is planted, we water it with our habits and Abracadabra! Magic happens. In time, the seed will grow into fruit.
Thanks and See you out there!
