Sacred Success Category

How the Spiritual Factors into Financial Success

Let’s talk about the Higher Work of Wealth—something I believe is missing when we talk about financial success.

The financial media focuses almost exclusively on the Outer Work of Wealthlearning the practical facts, like understanding the difference between a stock and a bond or how to diversify your retirement account.

Granted, we’re seeing more articles, even books exploring the Inner Work of Wealthovercoming internal blocks, negative attitudes and limiting beliefs we have about Wealth.

But discussions of the Higher Work of Wealth are rare. Though it’s certainly a hot topic in my online community, The Wealth Connection.   I believe for most women, the real motivation to create wealth–what keeps us going when resistance rears its ugly head—is not amassing more money.

It’s the spiritual factor–what we can do with our money once we have it. How we can use it to help others and become more of who we’re born to be, doing what we’re here on earth to do.

When You Encounter an Obstacle, Don’t Forget to Say Thank You!

In my book Sacred Success, I issue a warning: When you commit to Greatness, everything unlike itself will come up to be healed. Life gets in the way. Obstacles arise. Shit happens. Breakdowns occur.

To the masses, obstacles are like ticking time bombs, something to quickly defuse or avoid altogether.

But for those pursuing Greatness, obstacles are doorways to healing and growth. What seems to get in the way is the way to transformation.

“Trials are but lessons that you failed to learn presented once again.” A Course in Miracles tells us, “So where you made a faulty choice before you can now make a better one and thus escape all pain that what you chose before has brought you.”

Difficulties are not diversions from Greatness but proof of dysfunctional patterns that are, thankfully, being brought into awareness so you can correct them. These patterns are precisely what’s been preventing you from achieving Greatness.

The Truth Will Set You Free…And Here’s Why.

“ I really want to make more money, but where do I start?” I get this question constantly. My answer is always the same.

Start by telling the truth about what’s not working in your life…without having a solution in sight.

Simply telling the truth has tremendous power. Problems have a purpose. They’re trying to get your attention.

As I’ve witnessed countless times, financial success is most often preceded by acknowledging a financial challenge.

Your particular challenge could be as subtle as a nagging sense that you’re not happy to the agonizing awareness that you can’t pay your rent, yet again.

Facing a challenge does not mean rushing ahead with possible solutions or passively accepting the situation as “That’s just the way it is.”

Facing a challenge means telling the truth about why it’s there in the first place. That’s when you’ll come to realize that every difficulty you experience stems from the choices you’ve made, choices based on erroneous information, faulty beliefs, past programming, unfounded fear.

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Questions for A Quarantine

Ten years ago, a coach bluntly told me: “You’re too into doing, Barbara. You need time for just being.” I was depleted, burned out and knew she was right.

I cleared my calendar, eliminated all but the essentials and created space for self-reflection.  My mantra was “I surrender and receive.” 

I believe this is exactly what Covid-19 is calling us to do—Surrender and Receive. Surrender need not be passive but can be highly productive.

Believe me, I had no idea at the time that a whole new body of work was living inside me. By slowing down and tuning in, I “downloaded” what would become my next book, Sacred Success.

The “downloads” came as I asked myself a series of questions. I’m happy to share them with you. The first question most people ask themselves, when facing uncertainty, is ‘what should I do?’ Actually, that’s the last question to pose.

The first question to ask  is: What do I need to let go of? Letting go, especially of what causes unhappiness or ceases to serve you, creates space for better to come. How do you know what needs to go? It’s probably that which you’re most afraid to release.

The next question to ask is: What do I want? This helped me get in touch with my deepest desires rather than the ‘shoulds’ and ‘ought’s” that I often gave into. I took a deep dive into my Soul’s wisdom by asking myself these 4 questions:

  • If I knew I had only 6 months to live, where would I be? Who would I be with?  What would I be doing?
  • If I died today, what would be left unlived?
  • If nothing changes, not one thing, what would my life look like in 5 years?
  • If I was on my death bed, how would I most want to be remembered?

The final question to ask is: “What should I do next?” Follow the advice of artist Vincent Van Gogh: “If you hear a voice within you say, ‘you cannot paint’, by all means paint and the voice will be silenced.” 

How are you using your time in quarantine?.  Leave me a comment below.

The Secret “The Secret” Forgot to Tell Us

I’m a big fan of The Secret. I just watched the video again the other day.

Thanks to this wildly selling video and subsequent book by Rhona Bryne, the Law of Attraction has gained national attention. And that’s a very good thing…to a point.

The Law of Attraction states that you attract whatever you want into your life through your ability to feel good, think positively, and focus only on the desired outcome. Simply put, if you want to be rich, don’t focus on lack.

But here’s the problem. How many times have you said you really want wealth, believe riches are on the way, refuse to focus on anything but abundance….and still,  nothing happens?   Your bills go unpaid while your bank balance dwindles.

What The Secret failed to mention is that the Law of Attraction is only part of the equation. There is also The Law of Congruency.

This law states that your declared intention must be congruent with your unconscious decisions For example, you may say “I want to be rich,” but if you distrust wealthy people, don’t believe you deserve it, or see money as the root of all evil, then wealth isn’t really what you want.

Or as A Course in Miracles explains: “What you ask for you receive. But this refers to prayers of the heart not the words you use in praying.”

This inner discord explains why affirmations or positive thinking, as powerful as they are, don’t always work.

If you don’t have what you want, chances are your spoken goals are in conflict with your authentic desires, and deep down, you don’t actually want what you’re asking for.

The solution—try asking yourself a question: Why don’t I want it? Or put another way: What’s my pay-off for not having it?

What do you say you want in your life but can’t seem to manifest?


If you enjoyed this Words of Wealth, click here to receive a copy in your inbox every week.

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Living as if You Matter

I once saw a poster that made a lasting impression. On it was written: Will it matter that I was? 

Those words struck me like lightning bolts. I realized, after 40 years on this planet, I had never felt like I mattered…which explained the seemingly inexplicable angst I’d felt my entire life.

That’s when I made a decision. I vowed to do something ‘important’ so I’d finally feel like I mattered.  And off I went.

I wrote a book, then several others. I appeared on national TV.  I spoke to large audiences. But no matter how loud the applause, it never drowned out my sense of insignificance.

Until I wrote Sacred Success. Then everything changed. The women I interviewed for the book showed me the way to a more meaningful life.

Rather than focus on their fears and self-doubt (which they all had), they were living their life as if they already mattered…as if they had a God given purpose they were determined to fulfill.

Rather than striving to feel important themselves, they were seeking to make a difference for others.   

When I asked one woman what drove her to such stratospheric success, her response echoed what almost everyone told me.

“It’s more than money,” she insisted. “It’s impact. I am motivated by leaving a legacy.”

As soon as I started asking myself:  ‘What is the legacy I want to leave?’ I felt my focus radically shift.

I could finally acknowledge that I DO matter.  I always have. Not because of something great I’ve accomplished. But because I’m here for a reason—to leave my mark on the world, even if it’s only a tiny footprint in the sand.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: “To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded.”

Have you considered the legacy you want to leave?


If you enjoyed this Words of Wealth, click here to receive a copy in your inbox every week.

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God and Money

Call me crazy. Or call me Woo-Woo. But I firmly believe financial success is a spiritual journey; financial abundance is a divine right; and financial responsibility is a sacred duty.

Something happens when you bring faith into finances. The often overwhelming task of making more money and managing it wisely becomes not only easier but more meaningful.

Look at it this way. You and I are here for a purpose. Money is a vital tool for doing what we were put on this planet to do. How can you possibly follow your God given destiny if you’re drowning in debt, struggling to make ends meet?

Disciplined spending, sufficient earnings, habitual savings and prudent investing are sacred tools for not only living your best life but making the world a better place.

Money, I believe, is God made visible.


If you enjoyed this Words of Wealth, click here to receive a copy in your inbox every week.

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Who Said Money = Power?

Money does not give you power. Power comes from the choices you make. That’s a very important distinction.

Not all high earners are powerful women.

Successful women fall into two groups. The Successful High Earners and the Hard-driven High Earners.

The hard-driven ones I describe as superwomen on steroids, classic workaholics.  They’ll breakdown before they’ll slow down.

These were not powerful women. In fact, they have more in common with underearners than their higher paid peers. They live in deprivation…not necessarily of money, but time, joy, freedom, and control of their life.

One of the defining characteristics of Successful High Earners is that they actually take time for relaxation and self-reflection, to figure out what is really important. Their decisions are based, not on fear, but on their most cherished values.

I remember talking to a woman who went to a workshop where she was asked this question: If you were on your deathbed, looking back at your life, what would make you feel happiest and satisfied with how you lived?  From that came a list of her top 5 values.

Soon after, a friend asked her to be on the board of a business he was starting in China. The meetings would be all expense paid weekends in San Francisco. There was a time she would’ve jumped at the chance but, she realized, Chinese business wasn’t one of her priorities.

“It would’ve been fun,” she told me. “I would’ve met interesting people, but it would’ve taken me away from my partner, the book I was writing, all those things that are really important.

Have you looked at your top values lately? Are you living your priorities?

Are your ready to pursue your purpose, claim your power & build wealth? Take my Sacred Success Quiz to find out.


If you enjoyed these “Words of Wealth”, head over to my website and sign-up for my FREE weekly newsletter at: www.barbarastanny.com

Sacred Success

Sacred Success Quiz

Are you ready to pursue your purpose, claim your power & build your wealth? Take this quiz to find out.

Grab a pen and paper. Read each statement and rate it:

1 (doesn’t fit), 2 (sometimes fits), 3 (Yep, that’s me!)

  1. Money is mostly a source of pleasure, not pain or stress.
  2. I have ample cash savings.
  3. I understand my investments.
  4. I welcome opportunities to be uncomfortable.
  5. I am conscious of my spending.
  6. I have no unpaid credit card debt.
  7. I know my worth and ask for it.
  8. I am committed to not just safeguarding but growing my money.
  9. I have philanthropic causes I’m passionate about.
  10. I consider the money I have as mine.
  11. I really love and appreciate money.
  12. I never spend more money than I have.
  13. I admire people who have money.
  14. I participate fully in financial decisions.
  15. I desire to use my money for a cause I feel passionate about.
  16. I feel confident about my ability to manage money.
  17. I enjoy talking/reading about finances.
  18. I yearn to make a difference in the world.
  19. I enjoy down time, relaxing, with nothing to do.
  20. I have enough money to live a good life, but I still desire more.

Fill in your name and email address to see your results.



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The Trinity of Trust

Years ago, I lost most of my money because I didn’t trust me to manage it. Instead I trusted a man who wasn’t trustworthy. But after my divorce, I had to take action. I had to start trusting myself. That’s when I created what I’ve come to call the Trinity of Trust.

To build a firm foundation of trust, I spent time connecting with each point on the triangle.

  • I spent time alone with myself (A) exploring my innermost thoughts, appreciating who I was.
  • I connected with others (B)who would support, educate and encourage me.
  • And I made time to commune with (C) my Soul, my Higher Power through prayer and meditation, listening to my intuition.

I found these 3 elements extraordinary helpful. But to sustain my trust, I took one more step. I drew a circle around this Trinity.

This was a sacred circle, an impenetrable boundary. I’d let no one inside the circle that didn’t respect, appreciate and support me. No pessimists, naysayers or worry warts allowed.
Nor would I let myself fall prey to my own anxiety or panic.

Every time life gets out of whack, as it will, I go back inside that circle and connect to each point of the Trinity. No matter how tumultuous life becomes, I am able to experience peace. I know I can trust myself…as long as I honor my boundaries.


If you enjoyed these “Words of Wealth”, head over to my website and sign-up for my FREE weekly newsletter at: www.barbarastanny.com

Meet Barbara Huson

When a devastating financial crisis rocked her world, Barbara Huson knew she had to get smart about money… and she did. Now, she wants to empower every women to take charge of their money and take charge of their lives! She’s doing just that with her best-selling books, life changing retreats and private financial coaching.

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