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The Concept of Prosperity
By: Frank Nichols, LCSW
I would like you to think about a concept or a word that conveys all the things that you would like to “pull” towards yourself and work towards. It may be happiness or success or love or wealth or health or perhaps any number of things. For some the idea of prosperity imbues a sense of money, but allow me to ask a series of questions in order to expand this idea. What would prosperous relationships or friendships look like? What would a prosperous home life look like? What about a prosperous career? What would emotional prosperity look like? And so on...
The concept of prosperity can be used to convey the idea of bringing towards you those positive aspects of life that you desire. It also means having the strength to deal with the many difficulties life presents. (I suppose this would make Job a very prosperous man indeed!) As a social worker and therapist the prosperity I attract and work towards on a daily basis entails promoting myself and others towards growth. I would like you to now give thought to and perhaps write down all the things that being prosperous for you might entail.
Asking “The Question”
Asking a question is a “Power of Attraction” type exercise. One can ask a question before they go to sleep or during the day. This can be very powerful as you are asking (attracting) the universe an open question but you are also asking it of yourself. Examples of asking “The Question” would be something like, “What would a loving man do?” or “How would a successful woman act?”
I prefer the use of “The Question” over Affirmations. Whenever I have used affirmations I would attract negative thoughts as in “I am a rich man who attracts much wealth,” and immediately think, “NO I’M NOT!” When one asks a question one needs to be open to receiving answers and to following through. For example, if the question involves wealth and you start thinking more and more about those overwhelming credit card balances then perhaps you need to stop avoiding and address that issue.
How Would A Prosperous Man Or Woman Act?
“How would a prosperous man act?” is an excellent use of “The Question” because an expanded use of the concept of prosperity can be very specific and general at the same time. So for example, if somebody is being insulting to you, a rich man would what, throw money at the situation? And yes, perhaps a loving man might do well in this situation or might be taken advantage of. A prosperous woman or man would deal with the insult in its proper context, it may require ignoring, it may require confrontation or some other response depending on the situation.
Again, an expanded use of the concept of prosperity when asking “The Question” can be applied to many aspects of life. A prosperous man will act and attract differently when say dealing with career verses facing a terminal illness.
Reinforcement and Time Segments
When asking “The Question” it is a good idea to reinforce it as you enter different phases or time segments during the day. One would like to be prosperous during the work day and at that big meeting but one would also like to be prosperous upon arriving home to the family. This will help you apply prosperity to the different aspects of your life.
If you try this exercise over a sustained period of time I would be very interested to hear how you made out and as always be available for any questions. Good luck and much prosperity!
Frank Nichols, LCSW, is a Social Worker, Speaker and Consultant who in addition to individual and couples counseling combines psychotherapy with meditative practices.
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