If only you had a money tree growing in your backyard. When you need an infusion of cash you’d just walk into the back yard and pick some off! Funny right, wishful thinking? Well consider the possibility of growing just such a tree, an income generating vehicle, if only figuratively, that will produce as much fruit as you need. Here’s how you can grow your very own “money tree”.
Build Your Structure
At the base of your money tree, the very foundation of your structure would be your roots. Those roots would be your determination, that focus and commitment to earn an income that you believe is worthy of your goals, dreams, and basic and lifestyle needs. Your roots will be what holds you in the tough economic times and also will keep you grounded as you grow.
Reinforce Your Beliefs
As the money tree gets bigger, some may think that it is time to relax and let go of that determination and commitment but the opposite is true. As your money tree grows, your roots will need to go deeper because you will need to strengthen and reinforce your core beliefs. Failing this, you will become top heavy and fall over, and we have heard many a horror story of those who have experienced wealth and lost it all, partly on account of not remaining firmly grounded. Plan so that this does not become you!
The roots of your money tree are surrounded by soil. That soil, when your money tree was originally planted, had nothing to do with you. In this analogy, the soil represents your cultural, ethnic, familial and other environmental influencers of your thoughts and feelings regarding money.
The circumstances of your initial financial education were certainly outside of your control. You absorbed ideas, biases, fears and ways of thinking without even realizing it because it was all around you during your most vulnerable, formative years. In making the decision now to grow a healthy, vibrant money tree, you may have to acknowledge that your soil may not be serving your tree well. But what can you do without completely uprooting yourself?
Educate And Create A Healthy Mindset
This is where fresh water and fertilizer come in. Any good gardener can tell you that your soil needs additional nourishment in order to support a healthy root system and produce a healthy plants. The same applies to your money tree cultivation. Apply generous doses of unbiased education, healthy mindsets and realistic expectations that are not tainted by unfounded beliefs which do not serve you. Determine to create an environment conducive to the cultivation of a well fed, thriving money tree.
Consider that, if the other trees in the same soil are weak and diseased then you really should be questioning whether they are being well fed and, in so doing, respectfully ignore those that want you to remain the same. Challenge the status quo as it is presented to you, seek out the reason for actions and demand explanation for any “that’s just the way it is” responses.
Diversify Your Income Streams
Now that your roots are thriving in well-nourished soil, your branches will begin to grow robust. It is imperative that you develop multiple healthy branches because these represent your revenue streams. Financial abundance is very difficult to realize with reliance on a single income earning path. Your money tree needs to have various places from which income can be generated and so developing healthy branches is key.
Both 9-to-5ers and 24-7-365ers (my term for entrepreneurs) should diversify their income stream. You can start with one revenue stream but a plan must be put in place to have more than one option for where your money is coming from. Consider property, venture capitalism, hobbies, and other opportunities that may arise to help you diversify. Look for avenues that lend themselves naturally to your strengths and interests and don’t be afraid to try something new.
Be Strategic With Your Money
And now for the best part of the money tree, the leaves which would represent the money you make. It is important to note that regardless of which branch your money is coming off of, it is still the same. Various branches may carry fewer leaves but the leaves, money, have the same value, same impact and same potential. The important consideration is getting any disease off the leaves. Diseases like purposeless spending, and unplanned debt can all eat away at the quality of your leaves. Consider taking aggressive disease fighting action by seeking out professional help to keep your money tree healthy and disease free.
While not all trees bear fruit, it is desirable that your tree does. You see, with your money tree, your fruit would be your legacy. Your fruit is a manifestation of yourself that will live outside of yourself. Within your fruit is your seed, your family, your employees, your community. Your fruits are the opportunities you create to help others learn from you and then to plant their own money tree. Your fruit allows your legacy to be spread far and wide across the soil of different cultures and environments, impacting others outside the physical reach of your tree.
The scary thing about those seeds is that if it is carried from a diseased tree, it will yield diseased trees. Conversely, if you bear healthy, vibrant, robust seeds, healthy, vibrant, robust trees will be the likely result. Your fruit allows you, by virtue of the seeds you bear, to go on forever. Legacy is akin to immortality so let your fruit leave you a legacy of greatness.
Finally, a word on pruning. When your tree is pruned by the Master Gardener (God, Universe, Destiny, call it what you will) be thankful. Every pruning done by the Master Pruner is designed for the good of the tree. So a pruning is not a precursor to failure. It is a call to explode with new growth, new ideas, stronger, healthier branches and more radiant leaves and seeds. Lean into your pruning because bigger and better is on its way!
