A simple philosophy of giving and receiving may change your financial outlook

KNOX

 "I expect lavish abundance in every aspect of my life. Specifically today, I expect, recognize and welcome lavish abundance. And I am grateful for it."

When you read those words, do you really believe them? Is it possible that one could utter those words and actually receive all that is asked? According to Ellen Rogin, financial planner and author of "Great with Money: the Women's Guide to Prosperity" the answer is, "Yes!" Ms. Rogin spoke with a group of 75 women last week at an event hosted by the Women's Legacy Fund of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation and the Mina Edison Society of Edison State College.

Ms. Rogin believes that when you continuously repeat a cycle of giving authentically and receiving gratefully, you create a more prosperous mindset. This mindset is essential for developing financial success.

"Times of scarcity are, paradoxically, the times when we need to be giving more. When you contract your mindset, you contract the gifts that go out to help others," she said.

The ability to give generously to others also depends on being a good receiver of gifts.

"How often have we negated someone's generosity by saying, 'You shouldn't have,' or 'That was not necessary?' Instead we should be accepting gifts with gratitude and appreciation," said Ms. Rogin.

It may seem easy to dismiss this theory as soft science. But Ms. Rogin is a certified public accountant and a certified financial planner with more than 20 years of experience working with clients of all wealth levels. What she has consistently found is that a client's relationship with money is similar to the relationships they have with other people, their jobs, and their philosophies of life. Feelings of scarcity and fear occupy the minds of as many clients with excessive wealth as those of more modest means. Consequently, they can be frozen with fear when considering a financial decision, even though it is clear that on paper they have plenty of assets.

"Financial planning can be seen as solely a right brain activity with an emphasis on numbers and returns," said Ms. Rogin, "but this is truly only one part of the equation."

Emotions, relationships, family dynamics and perceptions about money play a huge role in a how a person perceives their financial wealth. Ms. Rogin believes that these factors are important to your financial prosperity. She doesn't simply advocate repeating a

mantra and expecting it to come true, though. In her talk, she explained that we must be very clear about goals, take specific action steps to reach those goals, and cultivate a mindset of generosity and prosperity through giving and receiving gifts.

Her words may sound counterintuitive. How can a person give more when there seems to be less to go around? How can this be achieved in today's economy? Ms. Rogin says the first step is to activate the giving cycle and being aware of gifts that come into your life. Spend time acknowledging gratefulness for the gifts that come to you.

Ms. Rogin's philosophy has practical applications for donors, philanthropists, volunteers, advocates, politicians and others who spend time and talent working in the nonprofit sector. In these challenging times, imagine if all of us focused for one week on the art of giving abundantly and receiving gratefully and ignored the downward spiral of scarcity and fear.

The Southwest Florida Community Foundation has been supporting the communities of Lee, Charlotte, Collier, Glades and Hendry through endowed funds for 33 years and during that time has provided more than $39.5 million in grants and scholarships to the communities it serves. For more information, please call 274-5900, or visit our Web site at www. floridacommunity.com.