In my previous post, i wrote how working in countries like Thailand may inspire an even better work life balance for digital nomads. I spend lots of time behind the computer and love to counter that with lots of time playing around, swimming and dancing and practicing yoga. That’s one of the reasons for moving to a tropical island. Here’s another one, and it’s a biggie: finances.
Financial balance
A big motivator for being in Thailand, is money. I have some serious debts to deal with and living in and working from Thailand (waaaaay cheaper than Holland) is helping me clean my old mess and maintain a healthy balance, also financially.
Money is energy
In fact, I have only quite recently come to the realization that money in itself is just innocent energy and it is ME who has been putting all kinds of labels on it such as ‘bad’, ‘dirty’, ‘guilty’, ‘difficult’, you name them, and i’ve been getting myself into trouble because of these convictions about money. I have behaved with money as i perceived the very thing i was dealing with.
The Work of Byron Katie is a way of identifying and questioning the thoughts that cause all the anger, fear, depression, addiction, and violence in the world. Experience the happiness of undoing those thoughts through The Work, and allow your mind to return to its true, awakened, peaceful, creative nature.
Everything you need in order to do The Work is available free on the website >.
Real problem?
To be honest, this is the one thing that i actually perceive as a real problem sometimes. The mechanism used to be, to turn away from it. Don’t want to see the bills, don’t want to face myself hiding them. Now, it is my practice to calm my mind which is until then full of fear and feel the love and lightness that are also present. And then i open the envelope and deal with whatever is inside.
Opening envelopes connecting to love and lightness inside? This may sound weird to you if you have no problem dealing with money (or avoiding to do so). Or it may sound wishy-washy if you’re not into the whole spiritual thing. But truly, it is my experience that wherever i created trouble in my life, the cause was in a false conviction, held by me, about the thing i was dealing with. As soon as i willfully (and, more and more, automatically) stop believing my thoughts, i become more open, more relaxed, and more prone to taking the right action.
The Work
What is helping me loads is The Work by Byron Katie. I’ll probably post more on her later. For now, i’ll just say that her sequence of questions and especially the final turnaround helps me see how by holding these beliefs about money i was (and truthfully, often still am) actually limiting myself bigtime.
Step back and See
Finally lifting the veil of false convictions and unlearning them, makes available all the space and strength and resources we need to deal with anything. True freedom and the power to make miracles happen, reside in every vessel of us. Surrender to this truth and you will be alive like never before.
What comes from this? For me: the courage to face up to my own shit, determination to keep on calling and writing letters where needed, the good sense to call my bookkeeper and ask friends for support in getting everything sorted, the inspired productivity to develop and sell awesome, meaningful products and services and pay what needs to be paid.
That’s in my case, until now. Your case and the solutions you come up with, may be different. Also, let me tell you: creating new patterns requires effort and loving dedication. I still need help and friendly reminders to stay on track.
One more perk
What also comes from lifting the veil and opening up to all possibilities? That i get to write this confession to you from Thailand, where i spend my days in joyous love with my dearest: Marco.* He supports me and has supported me through many years of intense pleasure, times of hardship and neverending connectedness. Together we came here not just because this is paradise, but also because being in paradise helps us to deal with our shit. I feel eternally grateful to have Marco as a buddy and a lover to share ideas with, moments of inspiration as well as despair, and i just know we’ll make it. Bigtime.
Have a lovely day, y’all <3
Image & quote gracefully provided by Maya Miriam: http://mayamiriam.wordpress.com/
* Update: things change and Judith and Marco are no longer together as a couple. We are still close friends.
