Invest Your Inner Wealth

It started out like any other Wednesday - reports to type, telephones to answer, books to balance. When the clock finally struck 4:30 p.m., Lauren locked her desk and wearily made her way to the fast-food café where she waited on tables several evenings a week. As a single mother struggling to make ends meet, Lauren's days were an endless blur of typewriters, ringing telephones and demanding children.

A few hours later, Lauren's entire world changed when she discovered that she had won $5 million in a lottery.

That was five years ago. Today, Lauren is back to typing reports and answering telephones. Other than owning a nice home, she has no assets and is once again struggling to make ends meet. Like many lottery winners, Lauren lost her winnings in bad investments and frivolous spending. Rarely a day goes by that Lauren doesn't agonize over all that she could have done with her life, had she properly managed her wealth.

"If only I could get my hands on that kind of money," you may be thinking. "I would never waste it."

That may be. But what are you doing with the wealth you already possess? I don't mean your bank accounts, business or investments. I'm referring to your talents, time, skills and opportunities, which are far more valuable than your money. And in many of our lives, these treasures are either buried or squandered in selfish pursuits.

John Henry Newman stated, "Fear not that your life shall have an end, but that it shall never have a beginning." Tragically, many people come to the end of their lives having never scratched the surface of their potential.

Following are some keys that will help you invest your inner wealth and achieve your full potential.

Connect to Your Power Source

My husband, Brian, is a hobby handyman. He's enthralled with his latest purchase, a "JigSaw" power tool that will cut any angle or shape. Last week he used it to cut a frame for a cathedral style window. According to the user manual, this tool has impressive capabilities. But even a non-techie like me knows it won't do anything unless it's connected to a power source.

To fulfill our greatest potential, we, too must be connected to our power source. Jesus Christ said, "I am the vine, you are the branches?he that abides in me and I in him, the same will bring forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing (Jn. 15:5).

Are you connected to Jesus? Creativity, joy and purpose grow in proportion to our "connectedness" to Christ. Draw closer to God, and divine power, love and grace will imbue your inner seeds of potential, causing them to germinate, grow and blossom.

When the late author Catherine Marshall was asked what advice she would give to someone seeking to be more creative, she replied, "That's easy. I would tell her to stay intimately attuned to God."

Change Your Focus

Many of us have areas of our lives that seem like insurmountable obstacles to achieving success.

When Ludwig van Beethoven began to lose his hearing, fear and anger became his constant companions. "O Providence," he wrote in his journal, "grant me at last one pure joy - it is so long since joy echoed in my heart. Oh when, oh when, shall I find it again?"

Beethoven despaired over whether he would ever be able to compose music again. But the time came when he decided to let go of his anger and be grateful for what he had. He chose to focus on God instead of his handicaps. The result was the composition of the famous Ninth Symphony, the tune to which we sin, "Joyful, joyful, we adore thee."

The handicaps that hinder most of us are not physical; they are handicaps of perception such as negative attitudes, fear of failure, inferiority, and doubt. Focus on your handicaps, and you'll be discouraged and resentful. Choose gratitude, focus on the enabling grace of God, and you'll experience joy and productivity.

Take Action

Samuel Johnson once said, "Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.

People who wait to take action until every real or imagined obstacle is removed will never get beyond the starting gate. Many of the world's greatest geniuses died having never succeeded at anything. Why? It takes more than good intentions and talent to be successful. It takes boldness and courage. Translated into everyday living, that means action.

Many people avoid taking action because they fear failure. Often, this is rooted in concerns about what other people think of them.

Nothing will paralyze you more than worrying about other people's opinions. Refuse to compare yourself with others. Be willing to risk failure. Today, take one step outside your comfort zone. Then tomorrow, take another. Over time, you'll develop greater courage and resilience.

Effective action requires a disciplined lifestyle. Athletes have coined the phrase, "No pain, no gain." They know that excellence requires discipline and hard work.

Discipline is the harness that releases our potential, transforming dreams into accomplishments. Set realistic goals and establish a detailed course of action to achieve those goals. Then be sure to follow through. Periodically evaluate your progress and, whenever necessary, adjust your plan.

Finally, never give up. Most great accomplishments are realized through many small steps; most achievements follow a series of setbacks. Some of the world's greatest novelists received hundreds of rejection slips before publishing their first book. Many of the most world's most prominent business and political leaders failed dozens of times before ever succeeding at one venture.

Apply these principles, and you will experience the fulfillment that comes from knowing you are doing the very best with what God has entrusted to you.

Judy Rushfeldt is an author, speaker, and online magazine publisher who has been writing for 25 years. Her passion is to inspire and equip women to reach their dreams. Her latest book, Making Your Dreams Your Destiny - a woman's guide to awakening your passions and fulfilling your purpose, is now available in quality bookstores. For more information about this book or to order, visit http://www.MakingYourDreams.com

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Coaching Information:

Related Articles

People Pleasing and How to Stop!
"People pleasing can leave you feeling empty and taken advantage of." Deb MeltonOne of the ways fear shows up in our lives and keeps us from living fully is when we become a people pleaser.
Your Responsibility
The other day I decided to skip cooking dinner and ordered fast food, and I ended up finding an insect on it. My husband and I were shocked, grossed out, disappointed, and I do not know what else.
Nourishing Your Network
It takes less effort to keep an existing customer than to gain a new customer.This is Business 101.
The Harvest: Shared Power
The fall harvest comes upon us once a year. The farmers collect the sometimes-scant rewards of their heroic efforts begun months before.
Lovers Remorse
Direct Answers - Column for the week of July 29, 2002A few months after my divorce I started seeing a friend of my ex-wife. She told me I really needed a person that would appreciate me.
Is Time Really Easier to Sell than Products? Generate Extra Revenue by Packaging Up What You Know
Over the years I've worked with very many coaches and consultants who make their money by selling blocks of time.This is great but anyone who's done it - also knows that when they stop working (and selling time) the money soon dries up too.
Are You Too Critical?
First of all, criticalness breaks up more relationships, than anything else. And that criticalness is usually over the children or money!Criticalness can be seen in eyes that slant down.
Poise, Posture, and Performance
Good posture is seen to have many advantages. From an aesthetic point of view it can enhance image, sending out the right signals (body language).
The Magic of Hearing
I'm working on a coach training certification, and one of the "proficiencies" I'm expected to have mastered is "engages in provocative conversations." Now, that really got me thinking.
How to Slow Your Spinning Mind
Have you ever laid in bed trying to fall asleep, but your mind keeps spinning with all the things you need to do? Your thoughts just keep ticking?We wind ourselves up like a motor when we pile on more things than can possibly get done in the time frame have. When we rush to appointments, speed in the car, load up on coffee, smoke on our breaks and make it to places "just in time", it's no wonder some of us can have a hard settling in for the night.
Creating Supportive Environments
I'm writing this on my laptop in a Cosi café in Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C.
3 Tips for a Great Summer - Developing Life & Business While Having a Blast
As the last day of school arrives I feel the same tendency I had as a child..
If I Only Had a Heart
I know you probably have heard of the movie, "The Wizard of Oz" right? Well, for those of you, who have somehow managed to miss this movie, let me give you a brief description of it.A young lady named Dorothy is upset with her home life and decides to run away.
The Biggest Loser
I am a "Loser". You're gonna learn from this writing today the reason why you too must be a "Loser".
Body Language Speaks Louder Than Words
Has it ever occurred to you how much you are saying to people even when you are not speaking? Unless you are a master of disguise, you are constantly sending messages about your true thoughts and feelings whether you are using words or not.Studies show that your words account for only 7% of the message you convey.
Executive Coaching and the American President
Perhaps no one better than a former U.S.
Who Do You Talk To?
Many of you reading this will be running businesses, or parts of, whether they are your own or not. This means that you have many things to deal with on a day to day basis plus trying to do the long-term thinking needed to lead and run the business.
Life Coach, Counsellor, or Therapist; - How do I choose?
Life coaching has become fashionable in recent years and there seems to be a big demand for what they offer. Counselling and many forms of therapy are also on offer, these may have been around for many years and have advantages to offer clients.
How to Hire a Coach
Improve Your Life! How to Hire A Coach.A reader writes, "I do not know how or where to contact a coach here.
Life On The Receiving End Of Coaching
What is it like to be on the receiving end of mentoring to improve your performance in pocket billiards and at the same time, participate in life changing coaching?You are the reason for all of the things you are going through. Once you accept that, you are then ready to make the changes that will take you to the next level and far beyond.