Money, money, money...

What is my attitude toward money? Throughout my life I have had very different views and created various "lenses" through which I saw it. Luckily I have had the opportunity, particularly in the past few years, to read, hear, and learn from those who had a healthier view of money. They weren't scared of money like I was, I was scared to have it and scared not to have it. The lack of money in my early marriage and our fear of drowning in a sea of bills and debt created a very hostile environment for us. We were unhappy with each other and blame was spread around. Those  individuals who knew better then me have taught me some important things to help guide my view. First, they taught me to stop being afraid of it, money is just an object, albeit an important one, and there are more than a million ways to get some if you want it. Second, they taught me that by giving it away, I would be more likely to succeed. Giving, not being greedy with the money we get, is the best way to live and provides the best breeding ground for financial wealth. Plus, we must remember that our life on this earth has no set time frame, we never know when it will be over and our physical money will not accompany us to the other side. However the good works we are able to accomplish with it and the people we can touch for the better can be our legacy forever.

So of the 6 rules that Stephan W. Gibson gave for prospering,
"Rule 1. Seek the Lord and have hope in him
  Rule 2. Keep the commandments, that includes the temporal ones, tithing and fast offerings.
  Rule 3. Think about money and plan how you can become self-reliant.
  Rule 4. Take advantage of chances for learning so you will not be ignorant of these matters.              Education, as President Hinckley has taught us, is the Key to Opportunity. Rule
  5. Learn the laws upon which the blessings of wealth are predicated. Rule
  6. Do not send away the naked, the hungry, the thirsty or the sick or those who are held captive."

I believe rule #3 is where I am working on right now. Using what money we have to create an environment which is self reliant, is my next big financial goal. There are so many things that lend themselves to this like, year supplies and gardening, learning skills like sewing and repair, creating a financial reserve and investing smartly, staying out of debt and sticking to a budget, and so many other areas that can help.