What is your favorite money-saving strategy?

"frustration as a result of all the pressure we put on ourselves"

“In life we often do not say what we mean or mean what we say.  For example, when many of us speak of abundance, we actually mean money; and when many of us speak of health, we actually mean our appearance, when many of us speak of joy, we actually mean happiness.  The difference between experiencing joy, abundance, and health, and acquiring money, a good appearance, and happiness is vast.  The former are inclusive while the latter are exclusive.  Joy is the state in which we allow ourselves to experience everything without judgment or concern.  Abundance pertains to being grateful for all the physical, mental, and emotional energies that flow through our life experience.  Health pertains to attending to the well-being of every aspect of our physical, mental and emotional experience.  However, happiness requires that “this” happens and that “that” does not happen, while money is just cash, and appearance is only skin deep.” - Michael Brown, The Presence Process

When I read this paragraph, I was struck by how completely “exclusive” we all are - and as a result the kind of pressure that we put on ourselves.  For example, we can only have abundance if we have a lot of money, we are only healthy if we are skinny and we are only joyful if we are happy.  So we press on, looking for that elusive life where we are abundant, healthy and joyful all the time - where we are rich, skinny and happy.  It sounds a little ridiculous doesn’t it?  This mad quest for such limited outcomes?

Michael Brown’s quote made me realize that I needed to widen my own definitions and let go of the pressure I put on myself.  I am abundant - namely because I have a full spectrum of mental, emotional and physical experiences that I am living and loving.  I am healthy because I am taking care myself on many different levels - even if I’m not at my goal weight.  And I am joyful because my life is full of many experiences, both positive and negative and I am living through every one of them. I don’t need to acquire or be anything other than me.

What are your definitions of abundance, joy and health?  Could they stand a little widening?

The subject of couples who work together is near and dear to my heart, especially those who throw love and risk and money into one pot and choose the entrepreneurial route together. After all, I worked with my significant other for over five years, before turning our business into an international non-profit. 

While working together for the same company has its risks (losing your job at the same time) and benefits (seeing each other often, knowing the same people), running a business together can really make or break a relationship. 

Issues around how much money to risk on a venture, how much time to spend together, and bringing business into the bedroom are common problems, and it often seems that when the business begins to struggle, the relationship struggles as well. Communication and clarity of purpose become paramount, as is knowing when to leave work behind to just “be” with each other.

Add to this potent mix the question: Who’s in charge here? Power struggles can take their toll on both the business and the relationship. Sometimes it’s best to simply make one of you the boss. This couple seems to have found happiness when the husband went to work for the wife. I found their story inspiring. 

What do you think? Can couples work together successfully? Are there some ventures that are more conducive to romance and business co-existing? If you’re in a business with your significant other, how do you make it work? Would you want to work with your lover?