Guest Column: Our thoughts, our money, our life

David Magallanes

By David Magallanes / Guest columnist

According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, lifestyle is defined as “A way of life or style of living that reflects the attitudes and values of a person or group.” A lifestyle that aligns with our deepest values, with our most cherished beliefs and thoughts, practically guarantees a happy life—or at least one of relative contentment. Some of us may feel that we are living a lifestyle that does not align with our core values, and we aren’t happy, but neither are we quite sure what to do about it.

Welcome to this first in a series of articles I plan to write about creating lifestyle.  That’s probably the best way to summarize the theme of my upcoming articles.  For lifestyle is very much something we can create, rather than “fall into”— which is a tendency that is all too common.  Too many of us, I believe, tend to “fall in” to a lifestyle, for better or for worse, and may not even realize the power that we possess to create lifestyle, whatever we determine that to be for ourselves.

Sometimes I feel as if I’ve stumbled into my lifestyle.  I’ve not done too bad, considering I got here without a clear road map. But I could have done better had I known earlier in my life the keys to what we might call an “aligned lifestyle.”

I grew up in a Hispanic family. I consider myself an American of Mexican descent. I’m familiar with Latino attitudes toward money and lifestyle. I’m familiar with how our Hispanic culture, including our religion and language, might impact our attitudes toward money and lifestyle creation. I plan to write about some of these cultural issues, along with their relationship to our thoughts — the root of all we experience in life, including money.  For we can think ourselves into wealth just as surely as we can think ourselves into poverty (and we often do!).

The premise for these articles is this: our thoughts determine the degree to which we attract money (and a lot of other things) into our lives, which in turn sets the stage for our desired lifestyle.

This series of articles is not about financial advice. I am not a financial expert. I am myself on a journey through a life transition. Becoming a writer and entrepreneur is a part of that transition. I consider myself a disciple of those who work to teach us how to change our lives for the better. Too many of us aren’t seeing the forest for the trees in this endeavor. As I navigate this new land, I wish to share my discoveries and insights in this column, and to learn from and make contact with you, the readers. I will often address issues that reflect a Latino perspective, but the concepts apply to all of us, regardless of our heritage.

I will return next week to commence our journey. I may write about things with which you are already familiar. Another time, I may write something controversial about which you disagree. And yet again, I may write something that sounds new and exciting and that resonates within you. This is my wish.

In any case, let the journey begin.

— David Magallanes is the creator of his own enterprise, Real World Projects, a business dedicated to providing products for a healthier life and a more vibrant lifestyle, as well as free training and guidance for those who wish to create their own similar enterprise.  For more information, you are invited to visit his web site at www.realworldprojects.info