{"id":12782,"date":"2017-08-17T15:51:20","date_gmt":"2017-08-17T20:51:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/blog1\/?p=12782"},"modified":"2017-08-17T15:56:22","modified_gmt":"2017-08-17T20:56:22","slug":"spiritual-and-broke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/blog1\/?p=12782","title":{"rendered":"Spiritual and Broke"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>I\u2019ve been given the opportunity to share the Introduction to Jennifer Noel Taylor\u2019s upcoming book \u201cSpiritual and Broke\u201d. I know my curiosity is piqued for the book\u2019s release.<br \/>\n<\/em><br \/>\nBy Jennifer Noel Taylor<\/p>\n<p><center><strong>Chapter 1: Spiritual and Broke?<\/strong><\/center><\/p>\n<p><center><em>I believe that if we do what we love the money will come&#8230; So today I played with kittens, basked in the sun, and went to a movie.<br \/>\nNow I Wait\u2026<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n<p><center><strong>Negative Net Worth<\/strong><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Have you ever had a moment when you looked at your life and wondered, \u201cHow did I end up here?!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>I asked myself this very question numerous times, especially when it came to money.<\/p>\n<p>How did I \u2013 an intelligent, level-headed, college-educated woman &#8211; end up incredibly broke? Or more specifically, how did I end up with no money, copious amounts of debt, and no savings?<\/p>\n<p>Let me describe my previously pathetic state of financial affairs\u2026 First of all, my checking account was on life support; my balance was so pitiful that my bank levied a fee for having an account balance below their arbitrary \u201cminimum daily balance.\u201d In essence, the bank charged me money for not having enough money! Second, I had accumulated $35,000 of credit card debt. My interest alone rivaled the average monthly food bill for a family of four. On top of this, I had taken out a business loan for $100,000.<\/p>\n<p>Now one might argue that a business loan is not necessarily a bad thing. But in my case, this loan wasn\u2019t happily funding any sort of growth. Nope, not at all. This line of credit was the only lifeboat keeping my business afloat; without it, I would have closed the doors. And, I almost forgot, I had an auto loan and an \u201cinterest only\u201d mortgage. (By the way, no lender in their right mind should have loaned me the money to buy a house; I managed to obtain this mortgage, back when banks loaned money based on \u201cstated\u201d income!) Finally, I had absolutely no savings. This means, I had no ability to handle unanticipated expenses such as car repairs, a sudden dip in business, or a visit to the dentist. Not to mention, I didn\u2019t have money saved to pay for a vacation or even a trip to see my family.<\/p>\n<p>Like many people, I was living pay check to pay check. Now don\u2019t get me wrong, I had a fairly decent lifestyle. I paid an interest only mortgage on a house that I loved. I drove a car that I enjoyed. I invested in my health with organic food, a gym membership and even a personal trainer on occasion. And sometimes, I splurged on a sparkly pair of shoes. But my pleasant life came with an emotional price tag: I always felt extremely stressed about money. I had no savings and $135,000 of debt (not counting my mortgage and auto loan!) So this means, I actually needed to earn money to be broke. My negative net worth was frightening!<\/p>\n<p>All of my financial troubles all began when I quit my \u201creal job\u201d to pursue my true love in life: energy medicine. In my former life, I was a software developer and although I didn\u2019t love my job, I did have a reliable paycheck with benefits. And despite the fact that I was financially solvent, I was emotionally bankrupt. I always felt disillusioned at my job. I knew that I was put on earth to do something much more meaningful than write software in a lonely cubicle all day. So when the opportunity came about to work with energy medicine, I immediately took a leap of faith and quit my job. I became the CEO of a Quantum-Touch &#8211; an organization dedicated to teaching energy healing around the world. I loved my new role because I loved helping others and I was extremely passionate about the philosophy behind energy medicine. I wholeheartedly believed that love is the foundation of all healing. So I wanted to share this passion with the world and Quantum- Touch was my vehicle to do just that!<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/blog1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/spiritual-and-broke-cover-EDIT.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"201\" height=\"215\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-12792\" \/>At the time, I was naively under the impression that if I followed my Heart, the money would come. So, I was dismayed to discover that this wasn\u2019t true for me\u2026 at all. Following my heart did not create the financial abundance that I was so eagerly anticipating. Like I said, what did come was lots of debt and stress about money. I was working so hard to help others, yet I felt like a martyr for the cause. I talked about the power of love, but behind closed doors, I was angry at the Universe (or God\/Goddess\/All That Is.) I felt betrayed. I believed that the Universe should reward everyone who has the courage to share their love with the world. Unfortunately, in my case, I was sorely mistaken!<\/p>\n<p>I was spiritual and broke.<\/p>\n<p><center><strong>A Caged Butterfly<\/strong><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Although I loved honoring my true calling in life, when it came to money, I really felt like a victim. When I contemplated how to repair my negative net worth, I felt like I only had bad choices \u2013 unhappy, heart-wrenching choices I really didn\u2019t want to make. I felt trapped between a rock and a hard place, like a caged butterfly.<\/p>\n<p>I considered going back to the \u201creal world\u201d and getting a normal job again. On one hand, I would yet again enjoy a nice steady paycheck. I could perhaps slowly dig myself out of my massive and almost unfathomable financial hole. As an added bonus, I would only be responsible for myself &#8211; not an entire community with employees, vendors, contractors, and other liabilities. This idea seemed extremely tempting at times, yet in my heart, I knew I couldn\u2019t do it. I would be going back to feeling unfulfilled and miserable at my job. I knew I had a purpose on the planet, so I felt that getting a \u201creal job\u201d would be selling out. I would no longer be following my Heart.<\/p>\n<p>I would be sacrificing my soul for money.<\/p>\n<p>Cutting back expenses seemed like the more obvious choice, but this just didn\u2019t work either! Every time I tried to lower my expenses, I felt like I was depriving myself of things that were essential to my well-being. Organic food is more expensive (strangely enough) than fast food, but I needed to take care of my health. Like many healers, I am extremely sensitive to the energy of my environment, so I spent a lot of money on a nurturing place to live. I bought a new car every five years because I didn\u2019t want to risk breaking down in the middle of nowhere. Even if I could manage to reduce my expenses for few days, I would feel deprived, like I was suffering on an overzealous crash diet. My feeble attempts to save money would most often result in a rebound sending spree.<\/p>\n<p>So, rather than make these sorts of tough decisions, I rationalized my debt. I believed that my debt really didn\u2019t matter because someday, my ship would come in. Sooner or later, the Universe would reward me for all of my hard work &#8211; eventually, I would receive the abundance I so greatly deserved. I had fantasies of going to the bank one day, and proudly writing a substantial check to pay off all my debt. I dreamed of the day that my money worries would be a distant memory. Essentially, I was treating my debt as a way to buy time. I was waiting for the Universe to deliver on the debt it \u201cowed me\u201d for having the courage to follow my Heart. Yet, there was only one problem with this rationale: the money never came.<\/p>\n<p>Year after year, nothing changed; I always remained spiritual and broke.<\/p>\n<p><center><strong>Misery Loves Company<\/strong><\/center><\/p>\n<p>I was certainly not alone in my financial despair; I wasn\u2019t the only spiritual entrepreneur who had money troubles. I met others in the exact same situation &#8211; spiritual and broke. I encountered many people who were following their Heart, yet frustrated and angry by their complete failure to make ends meet.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve talked with multiple life coaches who were living out of their cars or \u201ccouch surfing\u201d &#8211; unable to afford a place to live. I\u2019ve encountered healing practitioners, who, like me, had no savings and hence no resources to handle unexpected expenses. I\u2019ve crossed paths with sincere entrepreneurs who were living their passion, yet extremely stressed about taking care of their family, loved ones, or employees. I\u2019ve loaned money to conscious entrepreneurs who had a beautiful vision but no funding. (Sadly, these loans usually turned into gifts.) I\u2019ve met other business owners who maxed out their credit cards to fund their mission. And like me, they discovered that their mission never paid them back.<\/p>\n<p><center><strong>Financial Alignment<\/strong><\/center><\/p>\n<p>I remained spiritual and broke for many years \u2026 until I had an \u201cAh Ha\u201d moment at one of the lowest points in her life. I realized the key mistake I was making with my mission and my money. Once I had this awareness, I began a journey that yet effectively turned my finances around.<\/p>\n<p>In just three years, I paid off all of my debt; I no longer feel burdened by $135,000 of unsecured financial baggage. Also, I established a savings account with adequate funds for emergencies or even a vacation! I now consistently save money each month. My net worth went from insanely negative to comfortably positive. More importantly, I fixed my finances without any feelings of deprivation or sacrificing my well-being. During this time, I never felt like I was embarking on an unsustainable financial crash diet.<\/p>\n<p>And above all, I no longer feel stressed about my money (or lack thereof!)<\/p>\n<p>In this book, I describe exactly what I did to turn my finances around. Now, I want to clarify something\u2026 Although I have a positive net worth, I\u2019m not a millionaire (not at the moment, at least!) So I\u2019m not qualified to teach someone how to make lots of money in the stock market or buy that million dollar house of their dreams. Frankly, I don\u2019t feel I can lead people to a place that I\u2019ve never been myself.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, the focus of this book is not about creating massive amounts of wealth. Instead, this book is a practical (yet painless) guide to financial alignment: a harmonious co-existence between our Heart and our money.<\/p>\n<p>In a state of financial alignment, any stress about money is just a distant memory. We can easily pay our monthly expenses with money left to spare. So we consistently (and comfortably) save money every month. We have a year or more of expenses saved. We have no unsecured debt.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, we have the financial support necessary to pursue our true calling in life.<\/p>\n<p>As I discovered, just following my Heart wasn\u2019t enough; I needed to take additional steps, beyond the leap of faith, to create financial alignment. Like I said, I hate feeling deprived, so my financial turnaround was possible because I didn\u2019t feel like I was suffering in the process.<\/p>\n<p>We don\u2019t need to sacrifice our soul to make money. Conversely, we don\u2019t need to sacrifice our finances to follow our Heart! We can do both. We can create financial alignment doing what we love.<\/p>\n<p><center><em>Every great achievement was once considered impossible.<br \/>\nH. Jackson Brown Jr.<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/blog1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/jennifer-noel-taylor.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"183\" height=\"230\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-12789\" \/><strong>About Jennifer Noel Taylor:<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Jennifer Noel Taylor is an energy healing practitioner, self-help motivator, and the CEO of Quantum-Touch, Inc. She has dedicated her life work to helping people discover the healing power of their love.<\/p>\n<p>Jennifer graduated from Cal Poly (San Luis Obispo, CA) with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science and a Minor in Philosophy. After graduation, she started her first job as a Software Engineer at a big company in San Diego. Like so many people, she felt incredibly trapped and depressed at a job that paid the bills but didn\u2019t align with her true passion in life. She innately knew that she had a purpose and felt keenly aware that she was not following her true calling in life.<\/p>\n<p>To cope with the social isolation and depression she felt at work, she studied bodywork and alternative healing. She attended the International Professional School of Bodywork, Esalen Institute in Big Sur, and the Maui Academy of Healing Arts. While working on people, she started to feel the \u201cenergy fields\u201d emanating from people. She became fascinated by energy healing and studied various energy healing modalities, including Reiki.<\/p>\n<p>She met Richard Gordon, the founder of Quantum-Touch as his lecture on Maui. She fell in love with the vision of Quantum-Touch and received a very clear message from the Universe that energy healing was her true calling. Shortly after training in Quantum-Touch, she quit her job, took a leap of faith, and finally followed her Heart. She took over as CEO of Quantum-Touch in June 2002.<\/p>\n<p>As CEO of Quantum-Touch, she continues to promote optimal wellness by helping people connect more deeply to their love. Not only is Love the basis of all healing but it also is the guiding force behind the business itself. Her business practices include spiritually rewarding jobs, loving service to the world, environmental responsibility, and financial abundance. Quantum-Touch has grown from a regional U.S company to a Multinational corporation.<\/p>\n<p>You can learn more about the author and her upcoming book, \u201cSpiritual and Broke\u201d at her website <a href=\"http:\/\/jennifernoeltaylor.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/jennifernoeltaylor.com\/<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019ve been given the opportunity to share the Introduction to Jennifer Noel Taylor\u2019s upcoming book \u201cSpiritual and Broke\u201d. I know my curiosity is piqued for the book\u2019s release.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12782"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12782"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12782\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}