Thoughts of Prosperity
I’ve recently found myself in a very different financial situation. Two and a half years ago, my husband passed away. The first major change was that his income was no longer available. The next came when I left my job at the bank.
Since last February, I’ve been living on my retirement income alone. These changes created a new reality: in a very short time, my income was reduced by two-thirds.
What I realized almost immediately was that I needed to examine my mindset around money and prosperity. As I reflected on these areas, I came to see that I had never truly considered myself prosperous.
When I was young, financial stress loomed large due to my sister’s illness and mounting hospital bills. I always believed we lacked the funds to live the life we wanted.
As a family, we didn’t travel much. When my parents went to company conventions, they told us it would be too expensive to bring us along. I wanted to go to camp, but I was told we couldn’t afford it. We were often reminded that there wasn’t enough money for the extras.
My two best girlfriends growing up came from wealthy families. Their lives looked and felt very different from mine.
As I grew older and left home, I continued to carry the belief that I lived in a world of lack and limitation. Most of my choices were made with that mindset, and the men I chose to share my life with also struggled financially. I didn’t give it much thought at the time, but looking back, I can see how my mindset might have influenced those outcomes.
Over the past several months, I’ve been learning something powerful: our thoughts create our feelings, our feelings drive our actions, and our actions shape our results.
My mindset has been slowly shifting. When I worry less about the lack, and instead appreciate the prosperity I do have, life begins to feel more peaceful, more open, more hopeful.
I’m learning to notice the simple things: a warm home, a beautiful sunrise, food in the fridge, a friend’s kind words, my resilience. It all feels like prosperity to me now.
My sister once told me that she’s always felt rich. And the course of her life has reflected that belief. She’s achieved many of her dreams in her vocation, her travels, and even in property ownership. Her example reminds me that prosperity truly begins in the mind.
Prosperity isn’t just about numbers in a bank account. It’s a way of thinking, a way of being. I’m learning to trust that abundance flows more freely when we focus on gratitude instead of fear. Each day, I get to choose how I see my life, and that choice might be the richest gift of all.
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