The 360º Look @ Life™, Part 2: Financial Wealth Comes When the Outsides Match the Insides

Part 2 in the series “Your Life is the Most Important Thing in Your Life”

By Guest Blogger John Hill, CTS, RFP

What do how I feel, think, and live have to do with money, prosperity or wealth management? Let me share what I learned about the connection.

I grew up in a family where money was never discussed, where planning was kept secret, and where there was an attitude that there was never enough. In fact, I recall my mother telling me she couldn’t afford to get us Popsicles from the ice cream truck because she needed the quarters to buy bread. My parents’ mentality of scarcity became ingrained in me, and as a result, I grew up feeling there would never be enough to go around.

In spite of these beliefs, I experienced some measure of what folks call success – the trappings that said I had money, that I made a good living and was therefore “somebody.” But although on the outside I appeared quite successful, on the inside I felt small, lonely, insecure. I was terrified I was going to lose what I had, or wasn’t going to get something I wanted or needed to be “okay.” I felt if I didn’t get whatever “it” was, then I would once again be “not okay.”

Now, the fortunate part of this story is that the very thing I feared eventually happened to me. The beliefs I worked so hard to keep buried deep within literally came back to haunt me, because I found myself ill-prepared to handle the success I had achieved. Why do I say “fortunate?” Because this story isn’t quite done.

I discovered that deep within, the driving force of my unconscious belief system about money that had been programmed into me as a young child was wreaking havoc. The chickens had come home to roost! Although I had been trained to help other people build sound financial foundations based on time-tested, fundamental economic principles, I had never truly bothered to internalize these principles. More importantly, I had not pulled the skeletons out of my closet and taken a clear look at these stowaway beliefs.

You may be thinking “what is this guy talking about?” Stick with me: You are about to have an eye-opening awareness about the true nature of money, prosperity, and yes, even wealth.

What I have shared so far was the problem. I had little emotional, mental or spiritual intelligence when it came to understanding the nature of money. I had believed for years that money was simply the green stuff I carried around in my wallet, the paper I traded for things I needed or wanted, and if I could just get enough of it, I would be happy, content, and successful. I would be somebody.

The real issue was that I didn’t REALIZE I felt this way until a number of events occurred that literally stripped away all of the outside trappings of success, leaving me financially naked.

I had made a number of decisions around money that ultimately led me to where I am today. I thought those decisions were good at the time. And in fact they were, but not in the way I originally thought. They were good because they opened me up to be transformed.

Having experienced considerable financial success, I decided to build some waterfront homes to sell for profit. However, what I did NOT do prior to that was ensure that my personal finances were in order. I should have paid off my home, cars and other debts, but I felt there was no end to the money that could be made in the mortgage industry by fixing up homes and reselling them.

So I went full-bore into the projects, with every dime I had. I had no idea, though, that there was a global mortgage and financial crisis about to converge in the perfect storm. To make a long story short, the homes I bought were appraised for about $1.3 million, and three months later, they were appraised for about half that amount. I lost my entire investment.

I then became ill, AFTER giving up my disability and medical insurance. I was originally diagnosed with a form of liver cancer. After spending what little money I had left on tests, I finally discovered what I had was a liver abscess, not cancer, but not before my gall bladder ruptured, a complication that led to emergency surgery. I eventually recovered, but only after nearly a year of struggle.

To my credit, as a result of spiritual and personal growth work I had done in previous years, I was able to approach this crisis in a constructive way. I chose to go mining for SPIRITUAL gold, so to speak, and the lessons I learned from this humbling process gave me the opportunity to replace many of my unconscious beliefs with consciously chosen beliefs about the real meaning of wealth.

I have since recovered my health and much of my financial wealth. But more importantly, I have learned that true wealth is who I am when I don’t have money. In fact, true wealth can only be built upon the foundational understanding that money is alive and breathing, that it desires to be treated with respect, humility, care, and honesty. Only to the extent that I allow my belief system to be challenged and restructured, am I capable of handling wealth. My attitude now reflects to money that I have become a safe individual; money can feel comfortable around me. I have learned the principles of cash and carry. I don’t use other people’s money unless there are corresponding assets to use as collateral, and I don’t invest all my money in the same asset sector.

I’ve learned it’s okay to have significant savings. It is okay not to constantly feel like every waking moment needs to be spent generating income. It is preferable to insist that I pay professional fees when they are earned so that I will be treated in like manner. It is essential to surround myself with professionals who can challenge my ideas, so I am held to a higher standard through accountability.

Today, I implement accountability in my personal finances through following a financial plan. The plan is like a railroad track keeping the locomotive heading in the right direction. Basic principles, such as settling old debts, using current tax law ethically and legally to plan for retirement, operating my business in a way that reflects my consciously chosen beliefs about money – these are the codes by which I plan and live today so that financial ambiguity and vagueness don’t constantly sabotage my success.

What’s more, I have been able to pay forward these precious hard-won lessons to the clients I serve as financial and business advisor.

I have found that once these spiritual laws are mastered, when our foundational structure on the inside is congruent with that on the outside, we find ourselves experiencing wealth and prosperity in ways we haven’t even thought of, and we become content with the way life presents itself. That, my friend, money simply cannot buy. Today, I have created and continue to cultivate a sacred space in my soul and my life into which wealth may flow.

Develop an internal structure inside that aligns with what you want on the outside. Do what you have a passion and heart for and money will be attracted to the integrity of the structure you’ve built.

John E. Hill, CTS, RFP has served as a business financial professional since August 1990. He has been awarded the prestigious designation of Certified Tax Specialist by the Institute of Business & Finance and the designation of Registered Financial Planner by the Registered Financial Planner’s Institute. He has more than 600 hours of industry continuing education, and has helped more than 1,500 business and professional clients. He is currently working on his Master’s Degree in Financial Services (MSFS), and works in depth in the highly advanced areas of business entity structure and tax planning, retirement strategies, and insurance and risk management. As a result of his professional experience of more than two decades in business tax, financial, and insurance matters, Hill has brought proven expertise in offering solid strategies and solutions to the greater success of South Texas business owners and professionals.

Visit John online at http://houstonbusinessadvisors.com