An author recently wrote that her fans were demanding audiobooks, but she couldn’t afford to spend any money up-front for the narrator’s fee and other costs of production.

Narrators frequently bemoan the fact that, instead of narrating the next book, they are spending too much time editing an audiobook because they can’t afford to hire an editor.

I’ve previously written about our words being a self-fulfilling prophecy and encouraged you to think/write/speak what you WANT into being.

Thinking or saying “I can’t afford it” is often a knee-jerk reaction immediately offered by Resistance to keep you from taking action toward the good you seek.

If you’re among the people who frequently tell yourself “I can’t afford it”, I urge you to do this exercise, which I first wrote about in my review of Fabienne Frederickson’s Mindset Retreat last September.

Write down 50 ways that you can make money RIGHT NOW.

All ideas are fair game! You can include anything from your personal or business life. Be sure to include simple ideas that already exist for you but you haven’t taken action on, like sending an invoice or cashing a check. You can’t stop writing until you reach 50 ideas.

The point of the 50 Ways exercise is to change your mindset from a defeatist “I can’t afford it” attitude to a problem-solving, victorious “How can I afford it?” outlook.

Once you complete the task, take immediate action on the 6 items that look most promising.

You activate the Law of Attraction with your thoughts and words. Your brain can’t help but believe the words that are coming out of your mouth. Whatever you are focusing on is what you will see reflected in your life. Joel Osteen says that if you want to know what your life will look like in 5 years, start paying attention to what you are saying about yourself right now.

The more you think and say that you can’t afford something, the more that thought becomes part of who you are. The Universe has no choice but to prove you right.

However, the reverse is also true. By actively seeking creative ways that you can afford something, the Universe will conspire on your behalf to help you get it!

When I did the exercise, I tried to make most of my ideas business-related, but I also itemized ways I could utilize assets that I already have, like using a credit card or selling things on eBay. (Note that you can also buy things on eBay, often at a better price than elsewhere and thereby saving you money.)

I noted ideas I had already considered, like directing other narrators, and some I’d never even thought about, like renting out my pool. Somewhere around idea #26, some really inspired and exciting business-related ideas came to me!

If you’re stuck for ideas, take a look at the $100 hour thread from the BarbaraSher.com forum, captured with the Wayback Machine on Archive.org. It’s overflowing with a variety of quickly-implemented income streams.

I ended up listing 57 ideas on my sheet, with a handful of them using some of Drew’s talents and skills. Several of my business ideas are GOLDEN!

Even though ideas love speed and a year has passed since I created my 50 Ways list, I am still implementing my 50+ ways to make money and quite thrilled with the results!

 

Last updated 8/16/21