The Latest News, Views, and Gurus
Vol. 2, No. 3
Top o’ the morning, Readers!
We, Ann Leach and Michelle Pillen, co-authors of
Goal Sisters: Live the Life You Want With A Little Help From Your Friends, are coming to you from our book’s online home at
www.goalsisters.com.
Here in the United States, we celebrate many events during March! Some of us are honoring women who made a difference, some of us are dyeing our hair and our beer green, some of us are gearing up to root for our favorite college basketball teams, and some of us are eager to see the first signs of spring. We’re with you, Sisters, having fun and celebrating all of these rites of March!
We’re also taking time this month to pay more attention to our Money goals. Irk – brakes on the fun, right? Not necessarily. We’ve found successful ways to curb our stress around filing our taxes and share these goal-crossing strategies in this month’s activity.
* * ACTIVITY: SHARING THE WEALTH * *
One way we’ve achieved our Money goals is by borrowing strategies that have helped us achieve our Self-care, Creativity/Play, and Physical/Emotional Health goals. Here’s a sampling of goal-crossing strategies that may help you during this year’s tax season:
Self-care goals
~ Pair relaxing activities with tax preparation: Burn your favorite candle while you organize your files (but don’t set them on fire!). Listen to music that energizes you while you enter your credit card expenses. Buy yourself a treat after you pick up (or download) your State forms.
~ Schedule in no- to low-cost pampering time: Wash your hair with your favorite shampoo before you review progress on your investments. Give yourself a mud facial treatment after you figure out your medical expenses. Exchange massages with your partner at the end of a tough tax session.
Creativity/Play goals
~ Incorporate music into the process: Sing songs about money while you itemize your deductions. Try “If I Were A Rich Man” (Gwen Stefani and Eve have updated it in “Rich Girl”) and “She Works Hard for the Money.” Take a break from compiling your list of donations and see how many money-related songs you and a friend can find on
www.lyrics.astraweb.com.
~ Use your creativity to ease your tension: Create a drawing of the “tax man” monster and add new features as you progress with your filing. Dance a jig after you complete each page of your longest tax form. Sing your complaints to someone instead of whining to them.
Physical/Emotional Health goals
~ Anticipate and have healthy alternatives available for ultra stressful moments: Have on hand carrots, apples, frozen grapes, and almonds to crunch on when you get frustrated. Bounce a ball fifty times against the floor or wall after realizing you lost an important receipt.
~ Express your emotions: Walk around your block or neighborhood when you get grumpy about failing to meet a deduction. Play an instrument loudly after you sign your check to the IRS. Send a thank you note to your accountant.
Try these goal-crossing strategies on for size and let us know how they work for you!
* * ANN’S STORY * *
A while back I made the commitment to tithe from the ‘profits’ of
Goal Sisters. I use that term loosely because I have learned that it takes a l-o-n-g time to make profits from book sales! I do earn back the funds I use to purchase cases of books, though, and it is from these monies that I tithe to organizations that help women writers.
Since I began this process, I’ve been invited to speak to two regional women’s groups and to join a women’s networking organization. More than sharing my professional and social schedule with you, I hope you recognize these results as being one of the Universal Principles in action - give and it does come back to you!
Tithing one-tenth of my income to places where I receive spiritual food is one of my favorite ongoing activities. Yet for many of us, it is hard to get started on the tithing path. We have a tendency to want to hold on to our precious income. “I can’t afford to give anything,” says one friend. “It would take away from the electric bill and I need lights,” claims another friend. BULL FEATHERS! The tithing principle requires giving away one-tenth, not a certain amount. Whether it’s $1 or $100, the principle works!
There was a time when I tried to encourage and inspire these friends to increase their prosperity by giving away their money. I quickly realized that this is a very personal process and have learned to let go of the need to be the ‘tithe police.’ That decision became another reminder to let go to receive more. Talk about a leap of faith! Whoa!
I hope you consider being in the flow of giving and receiving by setting a goal of regular tithing.
* * ATTENTION GRABBING GURUS * *
Author and New Thought minister, Catherine Ponder has been studying and writing about prosperity for over fifty years. In her classic book,
The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity, she writes:
"A good way to begin cultivating the expectation of financial independence is by beginning to be financially independent for the day, week, or month now before you. It is always easier for the mind to produce results that are expected in the present or immediate future.
As you awaken each morning and emotionally prepare to meet the new day, verbally affirm or silently declare a number of times: I expect lavish abundance every day in every way in my life and affairs. I give thanks now."
* * GOAL SISTERS HAPPENINGS * *
April signals the one-year anniversary of our book’s publication. What a year it’s been! We’d like to celebrate with you by featuring your goal successes in next month’s GS newsletter. Do you have a story of how this process has helped you move forward? If so, email Ann your story at
ann@goalsisters.com by April 2nd and we’ll include it here, space permitting. Go on, toot your horn and send us your story!
Ann is ‘off the road’ for a while, but if you’re a member of the Joplin Board of Realtors, you can hear about the Goal Sister process when she speaks at their kick-off luncheon on Thursday, March 17th at 11:00 a.m. In addition, if you’re a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority and live in the Midwest, you’ll be on the campus of Southwest Missouri State University on April 23rd when Ann presents your regional conference’s keynote speech on Goal Sisters and Goal Gardens.
If you live on the island of Oahu, join Michelle and her Goal Sister Lani as they host a Goals Night Out event in Kailua on April 6th at 6 – 7:30 pm. Contact Michelle at
michelle@goalsisters.com for more details about this event.
Would you like to connect with a Goal Sister in your city or town, but need help? Contact Michelle at
michelle@goalsisters.com and she’ll be happy to post your request online on the GS Group page at
www.goalsisters.com/bio.htm. If you live in Chicago, Raleigh NC, Enfield CT, King of Prussia PA, Joplin MO, or Indianapolis IN, Michelle can help you connect with women who have already approached us with their requests!
As always, we love to hear from you regarding your progress, your stumbling blocks, and your successes.
Onward and upward,
Ann and
Michelle
P.S. Please help us make a difference by forwarding this newsletter to all the phenomenal women you know! Thanks!!
Copyright © 2004 by Ann Leach and Michelle Beaulieu Pillen, Ph.D. All rights reserved. No part of this Web site may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise.
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