Signs of Prosperity

My friend Chris and I loved an old cartoon in which Ziggy declared, “My idea of prosperity is a checking account with commas.” We promptly adopted this as our prosperity symbol.

Feeling prosperous is a highly individual thing and each of us has a different notion about what constitutes prosperity. For many people, alas, prosperity means having more than whatever they currently have.

And, of course, we’ve been told constantly that it’s a number—a million dollar number.

I think it’s much healthier to find small reminders that we are creating abundance in our own lives. Here are a few of my personal favorites for doing just that.

° You use up your deposit slips faster than you use up your check blanks. (This may not count if you bank online.)

° You don’t have any bills because you pay them as soon as they arrive and don’t let them accumulate.

° You’re always looking for ways to maximize and utilize what you’ve already got rather than noticing what you don’t have and whining about it.

° You notice and acknowledge your surplus. As Sondra Ray points out, if you have even a few coins in your purse, you have a surplus, yet almost nobody gives themself credit for that.

° You say “thank you” a lot. Gratitude is not only a sign of prosperity—it’s a way to attract even  more.

° You refine your taste by noticing the things you find beautiful and by uncluttering your life to get rid of things that are taking up space but don’t bring you joy. You’re not afraid to create a vacuum.

° You can appreciate the prosperity of others without being envious.

What’s your sign?

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I’ve been finding huge amounts of wonderful things thanks to my Twitter friends. Just in the past couple of days, I’ve been saving all sorts of articles, quotes, links.

Here’s one that popped up in my Twitter stream this morning that I’m crazy about: The Story of a Reluctant Entrepreneur.