Shakti Gawain is co-founder of New World Library and an internationally renowned pioneer in the fields of personal growth, visualization and prosperity consciousness. Her many best-selling books have sold 6 million copies in 30 languages. For 20 years, she has helped thousands of individuals develop greater awareness, balance and wholeness in their lives. Today, she continues to give talks and lead workshops throughout the world.

What is “prosperity consciousness?”

Most people think prosperity means having money, and that the more money you have, the more prosperity you have. Money is part of the process, but truly experiencing prosperity, I believe, has to do with discovering and satisfying our heart and soul’s deep needs and desires. Prosperity is an experience, a feeling of fulfillment or richness in your life, not something you can count.

So, how is money related to individual and community prosperity?

If you look at people in the world who have millions or billions of dollars, some are doing creative, interesting and purposely helpful things with their money. But too often, people become solely hung up on the money factor and don’t end up doing much that really satisfies them. They’re not feeling as safe and secure, as successful and free, as they hoped they would.

In contrast, those living an elegantly simple life may not be making a lot of money, but if they’re right where they want to be in life, they often experience a deep sense of satisfaction and peace of mind.

Can anyone arrive at a place of ongoing, conscious prosperity?

Each of us moves through many stages on our road of self-discovery; it’s a lifelong process of growth and development and we arrive there at different times. This is what life is really all about—the discovery of what’s meaningful to us and how we can live the life that’s most satisfying to us on all levels. I’ve observed that an important part of most people’s satisfaction comes from activities associated with being in nature or singing and dancing, creating space to relax and taking in the beauty of life.

What’s the secret to boosting our joy and love for life?

One of the most important things that I’ve found, for myself and others, is to understand that we all really do have a wise part inside of us that’s our inner guidance. You can call it many different things. The wisdom within surfaces in an intuitive way and doesn’t necessarily depend on knowing things intellectually. It’s a sense that somewhere deep inside, there is an understanding and conviction of what’s just right for us. This can serve as a guiding force on a highly practical level.

How can we stay “up” if we are unemployed, underemployed, or otherwise overwhelmed by economic hardship?

Well, if we try to stay “up,” we’re often not allowing ourselves to see what’s truly going on underneath, and this can be a form of denial. What’s going on underneath can be scary to look at if we’re really feeling frightened, sad or upset, but it’s important to look at these things. It has to do with becoming more conscious and more aware of our feelings and thoughts on a day-to-day, moment-to-moment basis. It’s not easy, but it’s what every psychological and spiritual process is trying to help us to do, become more conscious of what’s going on inside of us.

Once we do, we can see what is holding us back and take steps to help ourselves feel better. Instead of denying what’s happened, we can embrace it and figure out what can be done to make it better. Getting out in nature, meditation and talking to someone you feel comfortable with are ways to nurture yourself and heal. I always would urge you to do what feels right for you.

For more information visit ShaktiGawain.com.

Ellen Mahoney is a writer and teaches writing at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Email [email protected].