Just over a week ago, I talked about blossoming in Spring. The feedback I got was amazing. Thank you. You expressed a desire to go a little deeper. I’ll sum up the feedback in saying that many people DO have several things that they want to do, but they are often unsure about which path they should take. 

Are you or someone you know uncertain about what path (career move, investment, personal goal) you might take next? 

Here are a few things to keep in mind for your next opportunity: 

1. Values alignment. What are your values? And, how does the new opportunity line up (or not) with those values? 

2. Wealth opportunity. Does the opportunity provide you with tangible and intangible wealth, and if so, in what ways? In what ways does the opportunity detract from your wealth? 

3. Long-term focus. How does the opportunity connect to your longer term aspirations and what you want to do 5 or 10 years from now?  

Figuring out exactly what to do and how to do it requires a bit of discernment, or the ability to use sound judgement to make a good decision. In the spiritual world, discernment may take the form of how you might lean on a higher power to help you to make good judgement. For me, that power is God. For you, it might be something different. 

Because we are all often operating without the knowledge of what will happen in the future, one  must exercise a bit of faith as one undergoes the discernment process. I strongly believe that faith and wealth go hand-in-hand. The Bible provides many verses that have helped me in the discernment process, especially as it relates to wealth creation. I want to share my top Bible verses (New International Version) that have helped me focus on what’s important and help me make my ‘next move’ decisions in a wealth context. I hope these verses can be encouraging to you too, regardless of what spiritual or religious perspective you might have:  

• Providing comfort in why you make the choice. “I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.” (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13)

• Giving strength to pursue an endeavor in the midst of fear. “They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.” But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.” (Nehemiah 6:9) 

• Planning carefully matters. “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” (Proverbs 21:5) 

• Affirming your unique gifts. “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your[a] faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” (Romans 12:6-8)

• Disciplining yourself for wealth. “So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?” (Luke 16:11-12) 

Weekly Roundup

Here’s a few articles that might surely help you take action on your tangible wealth goals: 

• White-Hot Stock Rally Masks Mammoth Value Swings. If you’re trying to take advantage of the hot stock market NOW, this one’s for you. The article expressed optimism for a continued stock run given strong earnings expectations and the federal stimulus bill. 

• Buying a Home in 2021: How to Budget, Prepare for Bidding Wars and Surging Prices. If you’re trying to buy a house, do not despair, the housing market is frothy. This article can ease your fears by providing advice on how to prepare to buy a home in a seller’s market.  

• The Powerful New Financial Argument for Fossil-Fuel Divestment. If you’re curious as to how the world’s largest money manager, BlackRock, can play a pivotal role in getting rid of fossil fuels and earn its clients money, read on. Make sure you understand what investments your advisors are doing on your behalf! (Thanks to Charisse Says member Emily M. for bringing this article to my attention). 

A Wealthy Girl Corner

BIG NEWS: Today, my book got featured on Reedsey Discovery. If you have a minute, please Upvote for my book HERE. The more votes I get, the book will be blasted on their network of thousands, and we can help spread the wealth together. I know, they’ll ask you to sign up for Reedsey, and the kicker is that you may find other books you are interested in and unsubscribe if it’s not worth it. I understand!  

Want to support the book and make sure other people get value from the book? You can also do so by leaving a review on Amazon. Here’s how you can do so - click here. 

Here are two talks I gave over the last few weeks:  

Joseph Jaffe - LINK here, and tune in at the 27:00 minute mark for inspiration on practice and preparation. Joseph Jaffe is an amazing podcaster and we just had fun. If you’re looking for an entertaining and impactful show, Joseph’s got the juice! 

Melinda Emerson - LINK here, and tune in at the 53:07 mark for my talk with America’s favorite Small Business Lady. If you’re scaling a business, the watch from the beginning to learn from other experts too! 

Upcoming Free events

The Yale Club of Chicago is hosting me for a timely discussion on the best financial practices we learned during the pandemic, and how to set ourselves up for success in 2021! The session will be moderated by fellow Yale classmate and my bestie Bethany Gardner. REGISTER HERE.