Time to Enjoy Your Money

“There’s never enough time to do all the nothing you want.” — Bill Watterson

“Jerry makes plenty of money,” his wife Judith said when I called. “He doesn’t need your class. What he needs is more time to enjoy the money he makes.”

I had met Jerry when we appeared together on Paul and Sarah Edwards’ radio show. He was happily making large sums of money in his public relations business, but reacted strongly when I mentioned that my workshop was called Financial Stress Reduction. “I’d really love to keep making money but reduce the stress,” he said. “Call me and let’s talk about it.”

I called as instructed, and that’s when Judith let me know the real problem: Jerry’s work hours (24/7), his time off for fun (zero), his time with family (minimal) and her frustration with this situation (huge). I commiserated with her, then let her know that my class was not just about making money, but about having lots of time off to enjoy it as well. “Sign us up!” she exclaimed, and enrolled the two of them in the next course on the spot.

At the beginning of the class, they spoke of the goal they had put on their “Intended Results” list—to take a month off to travel in France with another couple. It seemed unreachable then. Jerry’s fear of losing clients was a palpable force keeping him chained to his telephone at all hours. But as they did the work of the course, they came to see that when they practiced positive thinking about money, sent out ships consistently, and counted the money to keep score, they could relax. The system worked and could be relied upon. Customers could understand—and admire—a commitment to family and balance. They could be alerted to the fact of an impending vacation and get their work in early. Reciprocal deals could be made with other professionals to handle emergencies in Jerry’s absence. As Jerry’s fear decreased each week, he began to relax. He started smiling more often—and so did Judith.

They had a wonderful time in France.

And where are you going? When?

Today’s Affirmation:
“I have abundant time to enjoy all my abundant riches!”

A couple of years ago, I took a weekend off to enjoy my money with a road trip to Pechanga with my poker buddies, Shelley and Debby. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and we were delighted with our little jaunt out of town. We had a ball, and I played in two poker tournaments and finished 9th out of 238 in one and one of 7 finalists out of 127 who split the prize pool in the second. Made over $1,000 having fun with my hobby!

And who knows, you might even turn a profit from it, too.

Planning for fun in the future is fun in the present, too. And then you have all the fun of your “I can hardly wait until . . .” every day looking forward to it. We’ve already planned our next trip, too. I am an expert at multiplying fun!

You can do it, too, you know. Make a Fun Plan today!

Chellie Campbell, Financial Stress Reduction Expert, is the author of bestselling books The Wealthy Spirit, Zero to Zillionaire, and most recently From Worry to Wealthy: A Woman’s Guide to Financial Success Without the Stress. She is widely quoted in major media including Redbook, Good Housekeeping and more than 50 popular books. She has been treating Money Disorders like Spending Bulimia and Income Anorexia in her Financial Stress Reduction® Workshops for over 25 years. Her website is www.chellie.com.