By Norissa Williams

As an adjunct lecturer and independent consultant, there are times when cash doesn’t always flow the way I want. So, although I love the thought of not having to teach in the summer, it’s bittersweet as my predictable income is cut in half.

 Fortunately, I’ve gone through this enough times that I refused to worry this summer. With that mindset, opportunities seemed to have fallen in my lap. I was called to do multiple paid speaking engagements, tuition payments plans were offered when I was adamantly told that plans could not be offered, next semester’s tuition was covered (and then some) and the most unexpected grace came… my client came to me and basically said, “Hey, we have a few thousand left in the budget that we didn’t expect, would you like to do more work for us until 9/30? “ (which “coincidentally,” is the week my first semester check will come).

If I could boil down the secret to this success, it would be the words of good ole, Bobby McFerrin…“Don’t worry. Be happy,” which to me translates to, “manage your energy.”

Many have heard of the Law of Attraction (LOA). Jerry and Esther Hicks, thought leaders responsible for this generation’s reconsideration of LOA and inspiration for “The Secret,” also teach “all thought is energy”.  The LOA is really an energy game. When I’m thinking of a thing, I emit energy. A way to know the energy we emit is to consider how we feel. Your emotion will indicate your energy. So, thinking, “I want it so bad!” may seem like you’re doing what’s necessary to attract what you want, as the law states, “what you pay attention to, you attract,” but in yearning we are often paying attention to the lack of a thing and the lack of it is all we attract. The feeling of frustration accompanied by the thought, “I want it so bad,” is the first indication that you need to manage your energy.

Four tips to managing your energy (when your worries threaten to send you off a clif!):

1. Know the energy you are emitting.

2. Think a thought that makes you feel good, even if it is off topic.

3. When all else fails and you can’t find a more positive emotion evoking thought, practice gratitude. Count the things you have to be grateful for until your mood changes.

4. Be grounded in the moment. Ask yourself, “Do I have what I need for THIS moment?” This may mean having a $0 bank account balance and a ¼ tank of gas, while driving 30 minutes away, but if all you need is to get to one place in that moment, then you have what you need, and your return home is the worry of the following moment. (By the time you get to the following moment, you will see that you have what you need for that moment, too).

 Using these tips will keep you in a place where you are offering positive energy to get you through your, ‘no money’ blues.

If you need deeper work around healing your relationship with money or overcoming your blocks and fears, maybe it’s time for some money therapy.