People have always fascinated me. Over the years, my interest has taken me down many paths and exploration of philosophies but none more powerful than the understanding that we are all energy – a bunch of atoms and molecules floating around in some reasonable order which allows us to see and experience our world the way we do. The scientific study of energy is an ancient one throughout the world. Chi, Prana and Ki are a few synonyms for our life force energy.
Today there are many scientific studies which verify the existence of the meridians, or acupressure points and our biofields, or auras and even chakras or energy centers within the body. Studies of intuition and energy healing and use of modalities such as tapping to reduce or even eliminate anxiety are common in our mainstream vernacular and culture today. Mindfulness or meditation practice has been utilized by corporations to reduce stress and thereby increase creativity and output. Google, Apple, Nike and Fidelity Investments have all instituted Mindfulness as part of their employee wellness programs. Harvard Business Review reports that brain activity is redirected from the limbic system to the prefrontal cortex–basically from the reactionary part of the brain to the rational part of the brain. This change causes us to “change the way we react to everything,” and enables us to rely more on our higher functioning rather than impulses.
So if Fidelity Investments is encouraging their employees to redirect their energy, why not the average investor? There’s so much about investing that is lost in the noise of statistics and analysis and making the “right” decision. That focus on the “right” decision creates a pressure which can result in sleepless nights and complete inertia. There’s an old saying “more money has been lost to indecision than in making a bad decision”. The stress of watching CNBC for a play by play and trying to figure out what’s next is simply exhausting and instills fear and more fear.
The intersection of energy and money is something I’ve wanted to write about for a long time. Energy, our very essence, is the flow in which we live. When our energy is out of balance, everything is more difficult. As humans, we are always in line with the balance of our energy. Imbalance begets more imbalance and harmony begets more harmony. What is so exciting about the understanding of energy is that we absolutely have the ability to change from imbalance to perfect balance. Money has been ascribed great power in our society. We seek it, covet it, worry about it and long for more. The energy surrounding money is one of the strongest we feel. But money in and of itself really doesn’t have power – it is largely inanimate since the emergence of online banking. We infuse money with expectations – a comfortable retirement, a new house, a vacation home, college education funding, a vacation, etc. Fear sets in when our expectations are threatened. So how does one rebalance their energy so that we can reduce anxiety and fear, thereby, enabling empowered and confident decision making?
There is no one technique that works for everyone but I will share how I find my balance in my work as an investment advisor.
There is little in our lives more stressful than money – maybe relationships tie for first place. Money stress or worry causes indecision, conflict, physical discomfort or disease, sleeplessness and loss of vital energy. What’s ironic is worry, stress, anxiety or what I refer to as instability is derived from fear which actually blocks our ability to live in harmony. Somehow we think that we can worry our way to harmony and plenty which is the antithesis of how energy works. Remember, imbalance creates more imbalance and harmony creates more harmony. Yet our culture is consumed with fear – fear of another financial catastrophe; fear of losing everything we have; fear of nuclear war; fear of cancer; fear of getting old; fear that our children will be unsafe and on and on. Our news, social media, water cooler conversations are filled with doomsday scenarios to the point where we don’t even believe that it’s possible to be happy or joyful or financially secure. That very lack of belief is its own self-fulfilling prophecy. We don’t even trust people who are joyful – we think there’s something wrong with them.
I am now in my 24th year as a financial advisor, and I am by no means immune from the pervasive fear surrounding money and investing. Yet, I feel my primary job is to provide peace of mind and a path toward financial security that is in line with who you are and what is most important to you. I cannot provide peace of mind if I am in scarcity mode. My energy imbalance would connect with yours and we’d just sit there in a jumble of speculation about the future collapse of our economy. So when I come into my office in the morning, I take the time and do the following which rebalances my energy and allows me to listen and reflect in harmony or prosperity mode:
- Breathe – I have noticed I’m a shallow breather. Breathing is simple and can be done anywhere – even in the car. I take a few deep breaths and let them out slowly. This simple act allows for clearer thinking because it slows the mind down and focuses it away from its constant chatter.
- Energy rebalancing exercise – Hara – I learned this simple technique at an energy psychology conference. It is simple and helps me release my own anxiety so it doesn’t mix with yours and build more disharmony. Click on this link for a nice visual on how it’s done.
- Intention – I set my intention for the best possible outcome. Without intention, we have no direction.
This process takes about 5 minutes.
If I could provide a path for you which would include not only financial security but freedom from money anxiety, that is my dream. There is a way to tap into more harmony and to be free from the pervasive fear that surrounds us. So I hope you will join me as we discover together and experience prosperity in every area of our lives.