by Mark Schlarbaum ~ October 19, 2008
Suggested by: Janet Schlarbaum
By Jared Lee
Malnutrition is the main cause of death in many underdeveloped countries where poverty is highly prevalent. It is not only poverty and impoverishment that can lead to malnutrition. Even well-off people who are ignorant about eating well can suffer due to malnutrition. According to Canada’s Food Guide, meaning of eating well is “a healthy eating pattern that supports the best possible growth and development and also helps reduce the risk of chronic diseases”.
Therefore, the best idea is to look for options and alternatives which allow us to eat healthily on a low budget.
• Use the food pyramid to plan out what meals to cook for your family.
• Insist that the family eats at home and avoids eating out.
• Prepare 3 wholesome meals including breakfast and ensure that you include fruits and vegetables liberally in your meals and also provide it as a snack.
Always choose foods you prepare from the bottom of the food pyramid because they are more economical, filling and less fattening. For instance, choose high fiber cereals and bread, go for green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits and increased servings of fruit juices. You must also opt for low fat milk, cheese and yoghurt. For proteins, eat beans and peas or eggs. In fact peas are an excellent source of vitamin-B (except B12), vitamin-A, vitamin-C, vitamin-E, zinc, iron, and soluble fiber. If you must eat non-vegetarian items, you can even use meat or fish as a source of protein but try to stick to lean meat and trim off the fat from the meat. Use oil sparingly and learn to eat a plain toast instead of one with butter dripping from it.
by Mark Schlarbaum ~ October 16, 2008
Posted by: Janet Schlarbaum
By Mark Silver
Abundance consciousness is all the rage these days. And why shouldn’t it be? You want your business to be abundant with cash, and you want to be abundant in your giving as well.
It’s always painful to me watching folks trying to reeeaaaacccchhhhh for an “abundance consciousness” and repeatedly fall short of it. What is this “abundance consciousness” anyway?
The most common ways I’ve seen people try to reach for abundance, is through various techniques that usually boil down to trying to force yourself to believe that you really are okay. Except that you don’t feel okay. You don’t feel abundant. You don’t feel happy, or confident, or sure.
If that’s your experience, I urge you to leave ‘abundance consciousness’ in the dustbin, and settle back into the only thing that I’ve seen work consistently: cultivating a healthy poverty consciousness.
A healthy poverty consciousness(!?)
Have you ever noticed that the miracles usually come through when you’ve finally been forced onto your knees? The cavalry comes over the hill at the last possible moment? That you are saved from what you are sure is going to be certain disaster in the knick of time?
This is a universal human experience. Everyone I’ve met has experienced this. So, what’s going on, and can it be reliably repeated?
What’s happening in these circumstances is an example of the effects of a healthy poverty consciousness. If you think about it, it just makes sense.
When someone is handing you something very special, say a rare crystal vase, or a newborn infant, it is critical that you have your hands empty, and also that you are ready to receive what’s coming. Otherwise, the precious bundle coming to you will either go dashing to the ground (if the other person isn’t watching), or it won’t get handed over at all.
To make this work in your business, apply a magnet, which is your authentic neediness, aka “poverty.” And hold it under your empty hands, aka your humility and a willingness to take responsibility for whatever is handed to you.
Combine these in an authentic, sincere way, and you have just used your poverty as a powerful magnetic attractor, much more powerful than any sense of false abundance you’ve been trying to muster.
How do you cultivate these so you can call the cavalry in when you need them?
Keys to a Healthy Poverty Consciousness
• Neediness: Being comfortable with an uncomfortable magnet.
Neediness is very uncomfortable. When we feel lack, we tend towards either collapsing in fear or sadness, or towards hyperactivity of pushing and trying to ‘make it happen.’
Instead, just stop. Stop. Now, what is it that’s not working for you right now? Allow yourself to feel your lack, your authentic neediness, and notice what that feels like. That’s right, it won’t kill you.
• Humility: Your empty cup waiting to be filled.
Jesus said, ‘The meek shall inherit the earth.’ I believe that meekness does not refer to spiritual or physical collapse, but rather to a humility where we know that some things are beyond us, and that we are willing to accept help.
Try on the idea that you aren’t superhuman. Brainstorm a list of ordinary things that you usually do alone. How could you ask for help in doing them? Not because you aren’t capable, but because you are humble enough to recognize your interdependence with others.
• Responsibility: Accepting stewardship for all that is put in your reach.
Response-ability– it’s really just a willingness to show up with what is, and what is coming. When combined with neediness and humility, you become the cup that is finally(!) emptied, so that you have some space to receive.
Allow your heart to run through all three: feeling the lack and neediness, bowing your head with humility at your inability to force an outcome, and then find the willingness in your heart to fully show up with what is, and whatever comes, without needing to know. What do you notice about how that feels?
If you’ve given yourself enough space for this process, you are probably feeling a lot more connected and relaxed in your heart. It’s time to look back at the original situation: what does it look like now? And, what next step does your heart naturally want to take?
Notice what comes in to your business over the next day or so, and use it as a way to develop your healthy poverty consciousness.
by Mark Schlarbaum ~ October 11, 2008
Submitted by: Janet Schlarbaum
By Kim Petit
It is easy to believe that technology has helped everyone. We live such comfortable lives, after all. We really benefit from an almost remarkable level of abundance and convenience. Even middle and working class people tend to have plenty to eat, good sources of transportation, and a wide variety of recreational activities that are not available in a lot of the world. We work longer hours than we used to, but we still do have plenty of recreation time to unwind.
Once you look at world hunger statistics, however, it becomes clear that all is not so rosy . In much of the world, poverty is a daily reality. Even hunger in America is a problem. This was shocking to me the first time I learned this. I had a teacher who had us study world hunger. He wanted us to be aware not only of our neighborhood, our state, and our country, but of our entire extended world community. Before he showed us an article, he asked what we thought about world hunger statistics. I was confident in my reply. I told him that, except for a few isolated areas, I believed that we had wiped out hunger and poverty in the world. Boy, was I in for a shock when I read the world hunger statistics!
The really scary thing was how easily I slipped back into a state of everything as usual, even after I was alerted to the reality of world hunger statistics. We like to think that we care about our fellow man, but when we look at our actions on the whole, it is quite clear that we don’t. It is so easy to forget about world poverty statistics, to go on living a life of affluence as if nothing is wrong. I am as guilty as anyone.
A few years later, however, I became so frustrated with my own apathy that I knew that the time for action was at hand. I decided to join a group to end world hunger. A friend of mine laughed at my naïve idealism. He also was familiar with the world hunger statistics, and he argued that it would not be as easy as I thought to end poverty. He knew that economic factors were complex, and felt that there was no easy solution.
I realize his arguments are valid, but I think it is even more important to realize that the world hunger statistics demand immediate action by all of us. If everyone was dedicated to ending world hunger, a solution could be found!
by Mark Schlarbaum ~ October 10, 2008
Suggested by: Janet Schlarbaum
By Jeanie Marshall
Definition number 1 of “poverty” in the American Heritage Dictionary is: “The state of being poor; lack of the means of providing material needs or comforts.” It is further defined as “deficiency in amount; scantiness; unproductiveness; infertility.”
By “poverty consciousness” I mean the set of attitudes and beliefs and feelings and values associated with material lack or fear of material lack. Poverty consciousness equals a belief in limitation, and almost always includes fear.
Poverty consciousness is not directly related to the amount of money one has. Rather, it is the relationship to that money or to material possessions. If you worry about not having enough money, you are in poverty consciousness. If you believe there is not enough for everyone in the world, you operate from poverty consciousness.
One can live in conditions of poverty without necessarily living in poverty consciousness, which is a state of mind and heart. The amount of money or other material possessions is a matter of fact. One’s relationship to that amount is a matter of thoughts and feelings.
Different Means; Similar Consciousness
Years ago, I had two personal empowerment sessions back-to-back with individuals of strikingly different financial means. The first one asked me probing questions about decisions he wanted to make with respect to stocks and his upcoming retirement from a major corporation. The second, desperate to generate $35 to pay his part of the electric bill, asked me probing questions about his uncertain situation.
I worked with both men in essentially the same way. I looked at the energy field in and around their thoughts and feelings. I assessed how they were creating a reality of poverty consciousness energized by their fears. The one of greater financial means became calmer as he embraced a shift in consciousness. The one of lesser financial means became calmer as he embraced a shift in consciousness.
The dollar amounts were different. The fear was the same. Probably each would have envied the other! As each man understood more fully how he had thought and felt his way in to his particular situation, he was better prepared to think and feel his way out.
Another Definition
Let’s return to the American Heritage dictionary, where there is a fourth definition of poverty that warrants discussion: “Renunciation made by a member of a religious order of the right to own property.”
Perhaps few readers of this article are presently in religious orders that require vows of poverty. However, the history of civilization is filled with such vows. For those of you who believe that it is possible to inherit traits from your ancestors, consider the impact of past vows of poverty passed through the genes. For those of you who believe that it is possible to be influenced by beliefs of others, consider the impact of past vows of poverty modeled in behavior. For those of you who believe in past lives, consider the impact of past vows of poverty on future lives. For those of you who believe in the existence of an energy field, consider how it might be polluted by such vows of limitation.
You can probably find some part of your belief system that tells you that vows of poverty made in the past can impact you and others now. As Individuals, in groups, and as the whole of humanity, we are touched by others.
A Matter of Faith
Ending poverty consciousness is a matter of faith. We all have faith, even though there are many who claim they have none. The question is not whether or not you have faith, but rather, in what you place your faith. Do you place your faith in money? In yourself? In lack? In history? In the future? In the visible? In the invisible?
When the visible elements of our experience are tumbling, we must redirect our faith, our energy, and our intention. The physical world is a temporary reality. It is time to open our awareness more to the worlds beyond this one. Higher consciousness is becoming more available to the human plane. You will want to stay alert so you do not to miss this adventure!
We are living in an exciting time. A time when we will prove that poverty and poverty consciousness are obsolete. A time when we will know, without a doubt, that we live in an abundant universe, a universe waiting to fulfill our every need.
This article has focused on poverty and poverty consciousness as related to material things. Keep in mind, though, that the same principles apply to other aspects of our lives. Some persons feel poverty or poverty consciousness about themselves. “Low self esteem” is one of the popular terms. It is a belief in lack, lack of one’s talents or abilities, not having enough of what is wanted.
A Few Ideas to End Poverty Consciousness
* Watch your language! Make sure that what follows “I” or “I am” is what you want to manifest. If you say “I am poor,” the Universe will answer you with its only response: yes!
* Say, think, and/or write empowering affirmations. (For example, “I rescind old vows of poverty and limitation.” Or, “I accept the gifts of the Universe.”)
* Bless all those who owe you money. Pray for their prosperity. When they pay you, thank them and thank the Source, the Higher Power.
* Bless all those to whom you owe money. Pray for their prosperity. When you pay them, thank them and thank the Source, the Higher Power.
* Recognize that money is a means of exchange. Stop giving your power away to money. Claim your own power from within, follow your passion, and the required means will be at your disposal.
* Focus on what you desire, not on what you do not desire. That to which you give your attention expands. If you give your attention to scarcity, scarcity expands; if you give your attention to abundance, abundance expands.
Now is the Time
Now is the only time we really have. We may believe that “as soon as …… happens” we will be free of poverty consciousness. We may dream that “when I win the lottery, I will do all those things I want to do.” The truth is, we do not need to wait for any conditions to change in order to be conscious of abundance. Now is the time. Here is the place.
by Mark Schlarbaum ~ September 11, 2008
By: Judy Ellison, Ph.D.
“One day our grandchildren will go to museums to see what poverty was like.” (Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank & 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.)
Astounding thought, isn’t it?
Imagine a world abounding in abundance and prosperity!
Every where you turned people were sharing freely with one another out of their overflowing opulence. Generosity was the norm. Sound implausible? Muhammad Yunas believes that if the dynamics of capitalism were applied properly, poverty, the greatest challenge facing mankind, could someday become extinct.
You and I, along with every man and woman on the planet, together, have the power to eradicate poverty from the face of the earth.
Within each of us is a connection to the Mind of all that is, all that was, and of all that is to come.
Every great idea has come from this all-knowing intelligence. Einstein, Bell, Edison, Ford, and the Wright Brothers, all tapped into the ever-flowing information matrix and created inventions that changed the world.
Einstein said, “I want to know God’s thoughts, the rest are details.”
You are no different than any one of these great thinkers. All it takes is one idea from God and the course of your life and possibly the world will never be the same. Don’t dismiss this article as being too far-fetched for you. Don’t quiet the voice within by doubting your own worthiness to receive an inspired idea.
Every day new fabulous ideas flow into someone’s mind and it might as well be yours. Align your mind with an open, connected heart and receive “YOUR OWN UNIQUE BUSINESS IDEA” from God and not only increase your own wealth but make a contribution to eradicating poverty and hunger from the earth.
We need entrepreneurs that are not only interested in maximizing their own personal profits in business but out of their profits they address social problems and concerns with their financial contributions.
You CAN make a difference in our world beginning right now. Start where you are by believing that there is an “inspired business idea” for you. Someday, it could be your grandchild, or great grandchild that will be standing in a museum somewhere looking at the history of poverty to see what it was like.
I wish you greater success!
by Mark Schlarbaum ~ September 11, 2008
By: Michael A. Verdicchio
The cause of poverty is not a lack of money. Does that statement shock you? It’s true. A lack of money may be an effect of poverty, but it is not the cause of poverty.
The cause of poverty is poverty thinking. Poverty comes from poverty beliefs and poverty attitudes; it comes from a poverty mindset.
Here’s another statement that might shake you. Not having money does not mean you’re impoverished. Let me explain. Suppose your checkbook gets all the way to zero. You are flat broke now. But, being flat broke now does not mean that you will be flat broke permanently. It absolutely does not guarantee that you will forever stay flat broke.
There are countless millionaires who at one time or another were flat broke. Why didn’t they stay flat broke? Some have even confessed going broke a number of times. A lack of money is not the issue. What’s in your mind is the issue.
Have you ever asked someone who is indeed in poverty why they are in that state? They will tell you exactly why. They will give you one poverty-minded statement after another. They will point out every lack that they have. They come from a poor family. They lack education. Good jobs are hard to come by these days. The price of everything today is too high. They never get a decent break like a lot of people do. The government doesn’t really care about them enough.
They have ingrained these thoughts into their minds and hearts. They have allowed that kind of thinking to actually take root in their heart, and become their belief system.
What we choose to believe is what we will manifest in our lives. This universal law works with accuracy and precision no matter who the person is and no matter what the circumstances are.
I have visited a number of foreign countries. It is just amazing to me how anyone in the United States can stay in poverty. There is so much wealth, abundance and opportunity in the United States that it staggers the mind.
Now just above the poverty line there are those who are just struggling to get by. Many of them are working very hard to make ends meet each month. Some work two and three jobs. They are labeled as the “lower middle class.” They may put forth a great effort, but they still seem to get nowhere except just above the poverty line. They will stay there because that’s what they choose to believe.
Life is not just luck or fate. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Are we to believe that some people are just blessed with a better life than others? Does the Creator show more favor on some but less on others? No!
Once you identify and accept that you are in a certain category in life and you really believe that in your heart, that is where you will stay. It really makes no difference where you are today. Whether you qualify as in poverty, just above poverty, lower middle class or middle class, none of those descriptions really mean anything unless you continue to accept them as true for your life.
The point is, where you are today is a result of your own belief system. Wherever you are today in life is a direct result of what you have decided to believe.
If you can accept that truth, you can change your circumstances because you recognize what very few ever recognize. The power to change your life is in your brain. The thoughts that you consistently entertain will form your own personal belief system.
Change your life and your circumstances by changing your thoughts, hour by hour and day by day. Fill your mind with thoughts of where you want to go, not where you are today.
You may not be in poverty, but, are you where you really desire to be in your life? If not, why not? Do you need to change your thoughts to form a new belief system?
Get honest with yourself and really examine your thoughts. A good indication of your thoughts is what comes out of your mouth.
You can change your life and your circumstance by changing your belief system. And you can change your belief system by changing your thinking, one thought at a time.
by Mark Schlarbaum ~ July 11, 2008
By: Kristin DeAnn Gabriel
Poverty suggests a family with no food, clothing, or shelter. In the year 2005, a Poverty Pulse poll was taken by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). It asked the public this question: “How would you describe being poor in the United States?” The responses focused on homelessness, hunger and not being able to meet basic needs.
The U.S. Census Bureau’s latest annual report on poverty in the U.S. states there were 37 million poor individuals (2005) living in this country. That number has not changed much in recent years — as the report states 12.6 percent of Americans were poor in 2005. This number has been averaging between 11.3 percent to 15.1 percent of during the last 20 years.
Once example, in Brooklyn, New York, there is a poverty problem, but to understand poverty in this country, is critical to take a look behind these kinds of numbers that are lingering in the Census Bureau’s reports. Look at the actual living conditions of the individuals that our government claims are poor.
The reality is that in the U.S. the poor are generally well nourished, but some poor families do experience temporary food shortages. About 89 percent of the poor say that their families have enough food, while only two percent say they often don’t have enough food. Forty-three percent of what the government calls “poor” households actually own their own homes, and a car.
According to Author Robert E. Rector, in his article, “How Poor Are America’s Poor? Examining the Plague of Poverty in America,” poverty in the U.S. can be reduced further, particularly poverty among children. Two main reasons are why American children are considered poor: Their parents don’t work much, and fathers are absent. He sites that the typical poor family with children is supported by only 800 hours of work during a year. This is only 16 hours of work a week. If work in each family were raised to 2,000 hours per year-the equivalent of one adult working 40 hours per week throughout the year- nearly 75 percent of poor children would not be deemed officially “in poverty” in the U.S.
Children of the City’s website features an audio presentation that sites the fact that there are 17 thousand cases of child abuse or neglect every year, a 48 percent high school drop out rate and the fact that one in three families is living below the poverty line. It is all happening in our own back yards. These people continue to need help to keep their kids out of crime.
Children of the City’s prevention outreach services have evolved to include trauma intervention, counseling, after-school programs, social work, courtroom and legal advocacy, financial counseling, youth mentoring, and other services that are helping families and their children achieve success socially, at school and at home. Parents can not only get help with their careers, but financially too.
One program is called Future Safe — a monthly event attended by about 500 children with a preventative element designed to deter children from drug abuse, delinquency, gang involvement and teen pregnancy. Often a first step for children from poor families, the program helps them engage in after school programs.
Maybe with more programs like Children of the City, our communities could beat what our government continues to call poverty in America.
by Mark Schlarbaum ~ May 13, 2008
Posted by: Janet Schlarbaum
By Michael Oksa
Poverty, in the sense of poorness, comes in many forms. Some are quite specific to geography, occupation, spirituality, or even recreation, to name a few. On the other hand, some forms of poverty are more general. Identifying your current state of ‘wealth’ or ‘poverty’ in these areas is a vital step to success. In other words, knowing where you are will help you determine how much you have to do.
What are these three areas that make up this poverty triangle? It has been said that people are either time poor, people poor, or money poor. That statement has enough merit to look at each of the three.
Time Poor
Everybody is allotted the exact same amount of time every day. People only differ in what they do with that time. Where many tend to go wrong in this area is in over-estimating how much time is left to complete something, and under-estimating how long it will take. It’s a common mistake. How would you rate yourself?
One way to overcome this time deficit is to develop the habit of being on time, or even early when possible. Of course, being early can mean waiting longer for someone else. You can combat this down-time by having something to work on; catching up on reading, writing down ideas, or making a few phone calls. If you are lacking in this area, start developing the habit of promptness.
People Poor
Family and friends are supposed to be a priority, sadly for some people this is not so. The pursuit of the almighty dollar stays at the forefront, while personal relationships suffer. It’s okay to strive for more income to provide the things you and your family want. Yes, that may require long hours and hard work, but it’s important to maintain balance. Are there relationships in your life that need some improving? Or, are things going great?
Here are a few thoughts on improving a people poor situation. Schedule time to spend in your most important relationships. When you are spending time with family and friends, enjoy it. This doesn’t mean you have to participate in planned activities or vacations, instead try laughing together, talking together, or just being in the presence of one another.
Money Poor
This can be a tough one. The credit card companies make it tempting and easy to go into debt. Advertising whets our appetite for keeping up with our neighbors. We can feel deprived when we don’t get the things we think we deserve. It seems to be a vicious cycle. Taking an honest look at your situation is the only way to know where you are.
People who are money poor are often quick to begrudge those who are wealthy. Nevermind that most people who are wealthy have earned it fair and square. This poor attitude contributes greatly to money poorness. Changing attitudes about money can be hard, even if you are a normal person, with a normal job, and a normal paycheck. However, to help change your attitude try this exercise: whenever you hear someone making a comment about the financially well-off being greedy, dishonest, or lucky - do your best to politely express the contrary view. Why would you let someone speak badly of something you hold dear?