Personal Growth Planet Blog

What are your New Year’s resolutions this year?

If you’re like many people, you’ve been giving some thought to the improvements to your relationships, body, health, finances, career and life you’d like to make in the coming year.

Though everyone’s resolutions are unique and personal, I believe that they often come to down to one word…

Freedom.

After all, a desire to earn more money, buy a new car, get a promotion and travel to exotic places all involve a sense of financial freedom.

The Beatles sang it so memorably–  “Money can’t buy me love.” It is possible that every one of us has had a moment in which we realized that money and material possessions cannot bring us the love and happiness for which we may have been longing.

Perhaps it was when you saved and saved for a newer model car or a larger home and, once that goal was reached, you felt a twinge of disappointment. The angst or the unhappiness that you felt before was still there– even if you were pleased with the purchase (however big or small).

By Amy Phillips-Gary

I’ve been watching the Winter Olympics a lot this past week. I’ve been amazed and inspired by the skill, creativity, determination and endurance displayed by all of the athletes– not just those who were awarded medals.

I found myself holding my breath as skiers raced down a mountainside traveling over 60 mph as they jumped and turned and vied for top speeds.

By Amy Phillips-Gary

Are you uncomfortable or even resistant to receiving?

During this time of year in which gifts are often exchanged, are you most focused in on the giving?

It’s quite likely that you are. When I think about giving and receiving, giving comes out as somehow more important in my mind.

We tend to live in a culture skewed against receiving.

“It’s better to give than to receive.” was probably taught to most of us growing up in our families, churches or schools. The stigma of those enrolled in low-income public assistance programs is still present today– what about those proverbial bootstraps we’re all supposed to pull ourselves up by?

By Amy Phillips-Gary

In today’s economy there aren’t too many people connecting the word “fun” with the word “money.”

News headlines warily report the stock market numbers each day. Job cuts are still being made and plenty of folks are looking for employment that will adequately pay the bills.

A lot of belt-tightening is going on.

In such an environment, the focus tends to be on “getting by” rather than bounding into financial abundance and prosperity.