A healthy bank balance is no guarantee that you will experience peace of mind and a sense of freedom and fullness with your finances. Talking with a friend who understands much better than I the global economic situation, it seemed to me that countries are pursuing debt payments as a way of surviving economically.

This speaks to me not of prosperity but of impending doom, gloom and despondency and a sense of hopelessness for us all. And yet there are ordinary people living lives of quiet integrity in this same world at this time.

Living in small spaces

Tiny homes provide economic relief. Pint-sized dwellings are slowly becoming primary residences.

Although I am not expert in financial planning, I have worked with people who are distressed and out of balance with their finances. Behind monetary disorder, I find emotions that are disoriented when it comes to money. Money is innocent. How we relate with money turns out to be the problem.

Emotions that are tightened in fear, self-doubt, anger, resentment, guilt, shame or self-judgment cannot breathe freely, be creative and enjoy life. They do need listening to with love, compassion and kindness. Emotional restrictions are likely to hark back to younger days and the messages of lack and limitation from surrounding adults, concerns possibly real at the time. Beliefs from childhood can cast their darkness over adult life.

In the credit card age, another disorder came upon us. Whatever we want, we can have. Charge a card. A sense of entitlement entered the scene, and with it the potential for impossible debt. No peace of mind in that either. The hunger for more in the material world is never fully satisfied. We have lost sight of our true, intrinsic value and worth that is priceless -- in ourselves and in others.

It is in healing the emotions that I find hope and the possibility of expansion, new expression and a healthier redefinition of wealth. Recently, I was enduring my own limiting mental chatter around lack and fear for my financial future. So I took myself aside for some quiet exploration on this matter, which frankly was driving me nuts. Enough already!

Like an epiphany, I heard: Be still, and know that I am God. I felt a powerful presence of well-being overshadow me and my chattering mind, such that it went quiet, at last. The tiredness of my confusion left me. Something in me knew better and relaxed.

If the word "God" is difficult for you, then perhaps Nature, or Universe, or Cosmos or Consciousness might fit better. In any event, whatever means for you that there is more to life than meets the eye, a sense of a larger presence perhaps, is key here.

The wealth in this world is truly astonishing. Not the glittering wealth of possessions, fast cars, luxury yachts, fashion statements. It is the wealth in each one of us ordinary human beings that is extraordinary, unfathomable and profoundly capable of righting the wrongs we meet. I call this wealth "the human spirit."

In good order, we can freely enjoy the goodies that this world offers but not out of desperation and need. There is plenty of room for our dreams and aspirations to be more than fulfilled. The world I know is very generous. We do not need to feel abandoned or deprived.

Hope and humour reconnects us to that indefatigable, resilient spirit within us. Fresh hope can turn our heads to take a new view, glimpse greater possibility and simply do something, anything to change our perspective.

From watering the plants, walking the dog to cleaning the windows (have you ever tried using white vinegar? the best way to clean glass and so cheap) we can change our outlook. Simple activity does it.

Dum spiro spero means "While I breathe, I hope" in Latin and is generally attributed to Cicero. Prosperity speaks to me of hope. As long as you breathe, you are here. You are still in the game.

53 Prosperity

Give me real solid hope and I have prosperity.
For every feeling, a thought to match it
and action I can take
to fulfil both the thought and the feeling.

Taking action, even if I make a mistake,
will take me further on the path
to realizing my prosperity.
I can always stop, refocus and course correct.
Doing nothing at all gets me nowhere.

Night thoughts of prosperity
lead me into peaceful sleep and nurturing rest.

Positive focussing during the day
releases a spray of happy cameos at night to dream on
-- like fluffy seeds from a dandelion.
Thistledown so light, carried by a breath of wind
to new places for growth.

Summer joy -- a dimension of prosperity,
the rewards of a winter well spent.

Random Soul -- Discovering the Spirit in You and In The Everyday World Around You

Prosperity is a quality we can all, potentially, enjoy more. Prosperity is a state of mind that leads to real results in the world. It is a quality that can be enjoyed by anyone, anywhere.

In These Arms -- A song for all Beings, Jennifer Berezan