The horrendous fires in Australia have been on my mind a lot these past few weeks, which is probably why – in a moment of divine inspiration – I used them on a recent coaching call.
I had given “Julie” an exercise to write for four minutes – nonstop – her dreams, goals and desires. And I asked her to do so imagining that Oprah agreed to “gift” her one million dollars a year for the next 30 years. In other words, I asked her to write her dreams, goal and desires as if money was not an issue.
SHE COULDN’T. She pretty much drew a blank.
That’s where the fires in Australia came in.
You may not know this, but some of those fires began burning LAST SEPTEMBER. Which means that firefighters have been fighting them non-stop SINCE SEPTEMBER – most intensely this past month. I can’t even imagine how exhausted they are – physically AND emotionally. And the fires still aren’t out – despite recent rains.
But one day (soon, pray God) they WILL be out and the firefighters will be able to go home and get on with their lives. Cause for celebration? Of course.
AND YET….
Imagine, my friend, that you are one of the firefighters who has been battling those fires SINCE SEPTEMBER. Imagine that the only thing you have thought about SINCE SEPTEMBER has been putting the fires out.
When you finally succeed and get to go home, can you also imagine how disoriented you could feel – how you might not know what to do with yourself? After all, your entire life has revolved around putting out the fires SINCE SEPTEMBER and suddenly you don’t have to do that any longer.
Which brings me back to Julie…
Like many of the people I support, she has been battling “financial fires” for YEARS!
Julie’s fires have been INTENSE – like those in Australia. Living paycheck to paycheck, going backwards into debt and frantically trying to make the money she needs just to stay on top of things had been the fire she’s fought for years. Every time she began to get them “contained”, an unexpected expense would fan the flames back to life – so she would work all the
harder to make the money she needed to “hang on”. When she couldn’t keep it up, she’d get sick or have an accident and couldn’t work. The “fire” grew as she fell further behind. So she’d charge things, get a loan from a friend or do anything she could to try to keep the fire “CONTAINED”.
YES - you read that right. After battling her “financial fires” for so long, Julie stopped believing that the fire would ever be completely out. All she could hope for was to keep it “contained”.
It was when she realized she couldn’t keep going that she came to me. Thus, our recent coaching call when she realized that if her “money fires” were suddenly put out (by Oprah or another means), she would be completely disoriented – and not really know what to do with herself, her life OR her money!
This is what happens for many of the people I work with who are fighting their own “financial fires” – albeit smaller ones than Julie’s. And here’s what makes it so important for her and for you, my friend.
If you can’t imagine anything beyond what you’ve always had and done…
If you can’t imagine something better than just “containing” the fire…
If you can’t imagine or dream of life and finances without fires…
If you can’t imagine or dream of what your life will be like and how you will use and enjoy money when the “fire” is out, the debt is paid, you have savings in the bank, et cetera...
It simply WILL NOT happen – EVER – no matter how hard you try. Even if you do manage to put out one fire, I can guarantee another fire will pop up!
(Think about it. How many people do you know who have gotten out of debt only to get back into debt again – sometimes even worse?)
Julie can’t imagine it, but I can – for her and for you. (And so can God – the One who created you!)
I can clearly see what’s possible for you – who you will be and what your life and relationship with money can be like “after the fire” – and it’s exciting.
And I could have shared that vision with Julie on her call.
But I didn’t. Because she first needs to begin IMAGINING it herself… to lay claim to the dreams and desires of her heart.
And so, , do you…
So I’ll leave you to begin imagining and dreaming…
Then, in my next post, I’ll share what I see awaits Julie and you when the financial fires she (and you) have been fighting for so long are put out – this time for good!
Until then, , I’d love to hear some of what you are imagining for yourself… if you’re willing to reply and share them with me.
Oh… one final thing. …
WHATEVER you imagine, whatever you dream of and desire – you are WORTHY of it.
Trust me.
You are so, so, SO worthy!
xoxo
T.