Yesterday was spent organizing papers and making copies for the tax accountant.  What I thought was going to be a 1-2 job turned into 11 hours almost nonstop before I cut loose of it to begin again later this morning.   And all it is is copying check registers, bank statements, credit card statements, Paypal statements, merchant account statements, and figuring my mileage for the year.   I’ve learned to keep a daily mileage log and I don’t back out of the garage without making the entry, since the IRS allows me over 50c a business mile. 

For the first six months of 2008, mileage was 50.5 cent a mile for all business miles driven, and 58 cents  for July 1, 2008, through Dec. 31, 2008.   For 2009, the mileage rate is 55 cents a mile.  I really appreciate that since I do a fair amount of driving.  In 2008, I took the year off from doing conferences and expos and that cut my miles way down and let me be home a lot more.

So as I organized my files yesterday and printed pages out, it really brought my attention to the dollar amounts I paid out and to whom and for what.  By the end of the day, I had a good handle on what I spent money on throughout the year.  I thought, “Mom would be proud of me!”  I never thought of myself as frugal, but I’m just not a big consumer.  Yes, I have lots of things but I have simple tastes and simple needs.

I’m not a recreational shopper, so I don’t incur much credit card debt.   I do have a habit of ordering office supplies through Office Depot and Staples since they deliver, and their prices are higher.  It only recently occurred to me that perhaps I can buy paper, labels and envelopes at Walmart or some discount store I don’t know about yet, since that is what I buy most often.  That is one of those things that I just do on autopilot because I’ve always done it that way.  Running out of supplies?  Go online and order from Staples or Office Depot and have them deliver.  No matter that the boxes may sit unopened in the foyer for a week or more.  What matters is that I did not have to walk into a store and carry something else back.

Now I will look on it as a chance to get some extra walking in as I wander through the store locating my items, and as bonus exercise as I carry them back to the office.  I will be saving money and shopping locally, and not making the driver use gas to get to me.  It just takes a shift in my perception to make it happen and make it enjoyable.

I buy used books on Amazon or www.half.com but I don’t buy many.  That’s mostly because all the publicists send me review copies of the latest book and dvd releases and what they send me is what I would typically buy.  That is a huge money saver right there.  So outside the cost of printing and distributing Horizons Magazine, I don’t have many bills.  The magazine pays for itself but was not designed to create income, so I can truthfully say I’m in this for the outcome, not the income.

In getting my statements together for the accountant, and seeing in black and white before me just what I spent last year’s dollars on, gave me a touchstone, a marker.  It first of all assured me that, while I spent a good bit of money in 2008, I made no extravagant purchases and I lived well within my means.  I had no financial regrets for 2008.  It made me feel hopeful for my personal economy for 2009.

So, my plan for 2009 is to stay the course and be open to new opportunities.  Business is good for me, but that’s because the genres of personal growth and spirituality are hot topics right now.  Wait – that’s not entirely true and I know it.   Business is good for me because I have a hopeful attitude and set financial goals that I discipline myself to keep moving in the direction of.  Business is good for me because I know who I am and know that I participate in creating the reality I experience.  Business is good for me because I know that I can manipulate my future experiences by way of using creative visualization and affirming techniques. And I know that it is working because whatever is playing out in my life always demonstrates where I have been focusing my thoughts.

Business is good for me because I listen for the voice of my inner guidance as it prompts me to try different things, such as beginning this blog.  I may move a little in to one direction and a little out of another direction, but I think the movement has to do with keeping the chi flowing and keeping the dollars flowing.  When I do just one thing out of my normal routine, especially if it’s something that takes me out of my comfort zone, that is enough to open my eyes to new opportunities right in front of me.  And to the extent I stay focused and aware and receptive, to that extent do the doors open to me and another income source begins to dance my way.  Knowing that, I am hopeful for 2009’s economy.  I just have to stay prepared to morph with the times.

I am the only glitch ever in my successful future.  All I have to do is identify some goal and begin moving toward it, and listen and heed inner guidance when it comes.  “A-ha!” you say.  “What if I can’t hear it?”   Then spend 10 minutes twice a day sitting with eyes closed following your breath, and release your thoughts as they arise.  And arise they will, every few seconds, simply focus on your breath again, feel it going from your nostrils, moving through your sinuses and into your lungs.  Feel it going back out again.  Simply do this twice a day and your ability to hear the voice of guidance will be greatly amplified.  You’re creating an empty space that Spirit will fill for you.

Then get happy and watch the fun begin to unfold. Stay prepared to morph with the times.

No matter what the tv or news says, the best is yet to be.  Really.

Andrea

Update 2-12-10: Tax year 2009 was my best year to date.  I’m doing something right.

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