Well, duh.

Welcome back, intrepid reader. Hopefully, this post will have you nodding and saying, "Yeah, and?" This is basic, basic stuff that has to be covered so the other stuff makes sense. Think of it not so much as an attempt to bore you to death, but rather an attempt to make sure we have some consensus in our understanding.

So let's get going. To have abundance in your life, you will need an income. This income needs to be enough to pay for the absolute necessities and still have some left over. When I say absolute necessities, I mean food, shelter, clothing, utilities and personal hygiene stuff.

Hopefully, you have this income. If not, get out there and get one. (And don't worry too much, you can still take advantage of some of the things I'll discuss here.)

Once you have your income, you'll need a budget. Keep track of your money. It likes that. Stick to your budget once you make it. The biggest problem I, personally, tend to have is the tendency to spend little bits of money here or there on things I could very well do without. It's just a dollar, I'll tell myself, and then wonder where my money went when I add everything up later on. Again, stick to your budget.

What do you do with what's left over? Practically speaking, that's going to depend on who you are and what's important to you. Generally speaking, you should do as follows. Divide it into thirds.

Save one third. Don't touch it, period. This is strictly emergency, angry-mob-with-pitchforks, end-of-the-world money. It's raison d'etre is for you to save it and not touch it.

Donate one third. Pick a charity, a religious organization, a random bum on the street, whomever or whatever you want, so long as they need the money and it will make you feel good to give them that money. You kill three birds with one stone this way: you get to feel good, you get to do good, and money you give away tends to come back to you in unexpected ways.

Finally, take the last third of the last of your money and blow it. Pamper yourself somehow. If it's not enough to get what you want, save it until it is. Frail creatures that we are, we need positive reinforcement. We need tangible reminders that the world is a banquet and we have a reservation.

That about does it for today. Next time, we'll cover some of the philosophical and spiritual underpinnings of the idea of creating abundance. We'll even get into some practical techniques to begin improving your life.

Baby Steps

So yeah, first post and everything. Here's what it's all about: making life better. Not just for you, but for everyone around you. In this blog, I propose to explore everything I find, read and deduce for myself about abundance in life. And you, dear reader, are along for the ride.

First, I suppose a definition is in order. To my way of thinking, after reading, studying and sparing occasional passing glances at various sources (everything from websites to magazines to self-help books to business manuals to other even more esoteric stuff) abundance is more. More wealth, more health, more good times, more friends. And abundance is also better. All of the above, but of higher quality.

The ways and means of cultivating abundance in one's life are quite diverse, so this seemed a better way of dealing with it all than to write yet another self-help book. That may come as well, but for now this is easiest, cheapest and carries the lowest stress.

I'll lay out the conclusion I have come to here and now. The theory of abundance is heavily metaphysical. It depends on a worldview that allows for a responsive universe. The mechanism varies, running the gamut from gods to quantum physics, but the gist of it is this: if you have the proper attitude, the universe will see to it that you get what you ask for.

This assumes that you know what you want. It also assumes that you know how to ask. Now, I'm not going to pretend to be some guru who knows it all. I'll just be sharing this stuff with you as I see it and if you choose to agree with me, then great. If not, there's enough similar material out there that you're bound to find someone you like better. I'll be assigning exercises that I've had positive results with myself. I suggest you do them if you want to improve the quality of your life. And yes, there will be a test.

Don't worry, though. It's pass/fail and you have the rest of your life to get it right.