189. Abundance Awaits: Insights from Deepak Chopra's Inner Path to Wealth

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to Episode 189, which is a Girl, Take the Lead, Sound Bite, which is a shorter episode

[00:00:12] [SPEAKER_00]: that may be a bit more about a topic we're covering like our episode today, or Quick Inspiration.

[00:00:18] [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm your host, Yolanda Canny.

[00:00:21] [SPEAKER_00]: This episode kicks off our theme for the month, Abundance, with a book by the same

[00:00:27] [SPEAKER_00]: name.

[00:00:28] [SPEAKER_00]: Abundance, The Inner Path, to Wealth by Deepak Chopra, MD.

[00:00:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Dr. Chopra is a clinical professor of family medicine and public health at the University

[00:00:40] [SPEAKER_00]: of California, San Diego, and serves as a senior scientist with Gallup Origenization.

[00:00:46] [SPEAKER_00]: He is the author of more than 90 books.

[00:00:50] [SPEAKER_00]: Google him, and you'll see him described as an Indian American author, New Age guru,

[00:00:57] [SPEAKER_00]: an alternative medicine advocate.

[00:01:00] [SPEAKER_00]: A prominent figure in the New Age movement, his books and videos have made him one of

[00:01:06] [SPEAKER_00]: the best known and wealthiest figures in alternative medicine.

[00:01:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Enjoy the listen, and here you go.

[00:01:16] [SPEAKER_00]: So you might wonder why this topic for the month.

[00:01:20] [SPEAKER_00]: As I reflected on my own life and hear from others about their worry about money, making

[00:01:29] [SPEAKER_00]: sure we're advancing in our leadership roles with enough money, not taking risks because

[00:01:35] [SPEAKER_00]: we need to save money or keep the job.

[00:01:40] [SPEAKER_00]: All of the beliefs we have around this topic of abundance can lead us to make decisions

[00:01:47] [SPEAKER_00]: that leave us perhaps feeling insecure and inadequate.

[00:01:51] [SPEAKER_00]: The drive to have more, which I did plenty of myself, left me wondering, what more can

[00:02:00] [SPEAKER_00]: we learn here?

[00:02:01] [SPEAKER_00]: So I found some authors and guests who will certainly help us understand our path more,

[00:02:06] [SPEAKER_00]: and who better to start us off than Dr. Chopra, who wants us to achieve success,

[00:02:12] [SPEAKER_00]: fulfillment and wholeness.

[00:02:15] [SPEAKER_00]: He begins his book by saying this, there are many books on how to make money.

[00:02:22] [SPEAKER_00]: But this one is unique, I believe, by unfolding an inner path to abundance.

[00:02:28] [SPEAKER_00]: I want the reader to discover that abundance is a state of awareness.

[00:02:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Consciousness is infinite.

[00:02:37] [SPEAKER_00]: It has infinite gifts to offer.

[00:02:40] [SPEAKER_00]: He says that the two biggest things we keep separate are the two worlds each of us inhabits.

[00:02:47] [SPEAKER_00]: One world is out there, the physical world of things and other people.

[00:02:54] [SPEAKER_00]: The other is the world in here where the mind is constantly active, producing thoughts

[00:03:02] [SPEAKER_00]: and sensation.

[00:03:04] [SPEAKER_00]: The purpose of yoga, he says, is to bring these two worlds together.

[00:03:10] [SPEAKER_00]: If you can do that, you will be happy and successful.

[00:03:14] [SPEAKER_00]: You will lead the life you are meant to live, one of sustainability, abundance and joy.

[00:03:22] [SPEAKER_00]: And along the way, the money to support this life will come to you.

[00:03:27] [SPEAKER_00]: He also says that given the realities, particularly in troubled times, most people would be skeptical

[00:03:36] [SPEAKER_00]: about the money will come part of this promise.

[00:03:40] [SPEAKER_00]: Money is the chief worry that pollsters find in people's lives and money implies hard work and struggle.

[00:03:48] [SPEAKER_00]: To survive, you must have money to thrive, you need even more.

[00:03:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Data gathered by the Gallup Organization found only about one third of respondents say that they are thriving.

[00:04:03] [SPEAKER_00]: Here's a bit more about what he says about, quote, the money will come.

[00:04:09] [SPEAKER_00]: He says it will come because being given what you truly need and desire is not left to divine providence, good money karma,

[00:04:18] [SPEAKER_00]: the fig trees of life or the whims of fortune.

[00:04:22] [SPEAKER_00]: In short, a state of awareness brings happiness and success with money as needed for both.

[00:04:32] [SPEAKER_00]: He goes on to say it is true, as the saying goes, that money can't buy you happiness, but poverty can buy you misery.

[00:04:43] [SPEAKER_00]: Equating poverty with spirituality is a big mistake, I think.

[00:04:50] [SPEAKER_00]: Poverty doesn't make you rich in spirit, whether it is voluntary poverty chosen out of purity or forced poverty, you can escape.

[00:05:01] [SPEAKER_00]: The real purpose of life is the same for everyone. It is this.

[00:05:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Connect with the generosity of spirit and let it provide you everything you need.

[00:05:14] [SPEAKER_00]: Is need the same as desire? Will yoga make all your wishes come true, showering you with wealth?

[00:05:23] [SPEAKER_00]: These are the wrong questions.

[00:05:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Yoga brings inner joy, which is the only true measure of success.

[00:05:32] [SPEAKER_00]: When we indulge in fantasies and wish fulfillment over money, we are compensating for a lack of joy.

[00:05:42] [SPEAKER_00]: Oh boy.

[00:05:45] [SPEAKER_00]: Let's let that one sink in, shall we?

[00:05:48] [SPEAKER_00]: One more time.

[00:05:49] [SPEAKER_00]: When we indulge in fantasies and wish fulfillment over money, we are compensating for a lack of joy.

[00:06:04] [SPEAKER_00]: We should take a moment to talk about what he means by yoga.

[00:06:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Most of us Westerners think of yoga as a down dog or child's pose to bring about a centered state of mind and body.

[00:06:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Dr. Chopra is talking about yoga with a capital Y.

[00:06:23] [SPEAKER_00]: He doesn't mean the spiritual in the religious sense, but as the science of consciousness.

[00:06:31] [SPEAKER_00]: And when we know how our consciousness actually behaves, we change with it.

[00:06:39] [SPEAKER_00]: His views on the science of consciousness integrate both spiritual and scientific perspectives.

[00:06:46] [SPEAKER_00]: His views on the science of consciousness integrate both spiritual and scientific perspectives.

[00:06:54] [SPEAKER_00]: He sees consciousness as the core of reality, creativity, healing and wealth.

[00:07:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Advocating for a holistic approach that merges inner awareness with the outer world.

[00:07:09] [SPEAKER_00]: He is an advocate for bridging the gap between modern science and spiritual wisdom.

[00:07:17] [SPEAKER_00]: He often discusses how emerging scientific feels like quantum physics,

[00:07:23] [SPEAKER_00]: align with the ancient spiritual teachings about consciousness.

[00:07:28] [SPEAKER_00]: He argues that as science progresses, it will increasingly recognize consciousness as a fundamental aspect of reality,

[00:07:39] [SPEAKER_00]: leading to a new understanding of human potential and the nature of existence.

[00:07:46] [SPEAKER_00]: He says there is an immediate connection to money, strange as this seems at first glance.

[00:07:53] [SPEAKER_00]: At the soul level, there is generosity of spirit.

[00:07:58] [SPEAKER_00]: This manifests as a following gaps.

[00:08:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Infinite abundance, infinite possibilities, unlimited creativity, mercy, grace and loving kindness, eternal love and boundless giving.

[00:08:17] [SPEAKER_00]: We've covered several of these topics in our episodes and I'll have links to them in the show notes.

[00:08:25] [SPEAKER_00]: There's another key point I think he makes.

[00:08:29] [SPEAKER_00]: If we shift our attitude away from money as a goal, but instead intend to get more out of life, you will have the support of consciousness.

[00:08:42] [SPEAKER_00]: The concept of money is powerful.

[00:08:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Seen as the invention of the mind, money accomplishes four different things that are necessary to human society.

[00:08:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Money serves us as rewards like money in a birthday card, value, what we see in our salaries, need for education, shopping or whatever,

[00:09:08] [SPEAKER_00]: and exchange. You do this for me and I'll give you X amount of money for that.

[00:09:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so here's the heart of what I think Dr. Chopra is telling us.

[00:09:23] [SPEAKER_00]: When it comes to rewards, needs, values and exchange, they are products of consciousness.

[00:09:31] [SPEAKER_00]: But there's a missing ingredient which is all important.

[00:09:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Yoga teaches that the closer we get to the source of awareness, the more power our consciousness has by translating this power into things you desire and the money to pay for them.

[00:09:51] [SPEAKER_00]: We transform consciousness into wealth and he sees consciousness as creative.

[00:09:58] [SPEAKER_00]: It gives our mind thoughts, feelings, inspirations breakthroughs insights, aha moments and everything we value including love, compassion, joy and intelligence.

[00:10:14] [SPEAKER_00]: The closer we are to these, the more gifts will receive.

[00:10:19] [SPEAKER_00]: It's a focus on the self. And by doing that we fulfill any creative possibility we desire to pursue.

[00:10:28] [SPEAKER_00]: There is no value judgment in yoga. It is the science of consciousness, not a set of moral rules.

[00:10:37] [SPEAKER_00]: Desires are all equal the instant they are born into our awareness. What kind of desire is good for us, however, is our own personal responsibility.

[00:10:50] [SPEAKER_00]: This book by the way has two other parts finding your abundance and the gifts of creative intelligence that are filled with exercises quizzes common beliefs and so much more.

[00:11:01] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm sure we'll be back to visit this book in later episodes. But for now, we've only covered part one, the yoga of money.

[00:11:12] [SPEAKER_00]: One last thing before we end today.

[00:11:16] [SPEAKER_00]: In the epilogue he talks about wisdom being of crucial importance.

[00:11:22] [SPEAKER_00]: It gives answers to why we exist and what our purposes.

[00:11:29] [SPEAKER_00]: In yoga, wisdom offers a vision of consciousness itself bridging all ages and circumstances.

[00:11:39] [SPEAKER_00]: It gets at the heart of reality.

[00:11:43] [SPEAKER_00]: Ultimately, the search for reality is what binds the impulse and everyone to feel whole.

[00:11:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Those who actually pause to listen to the silent voice of the self are the fortunate ones in every age.

[00:12:05] [SPEAKER_00]: He ends the book with this quote from the poet Rumi.

[00:12:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Only now and again do I suddenly sit up for my dreams to smell a strange fragrance.

[00:12:21] [SPEAKER_00]: It comes on the south wind, a value hint that makes me ache with longing like the eager breath of summer wanting to be completed.

[00:12:35] [SPEAKER_00]: I didn't know what was so near or that it was mine.

[00:12:42] [SPEAKER_00]: This perfect sweetness blossoming in the depths of my heart.

[00:12:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for listening today and I hope you feel inspired.

[00:12:57] [SPEAKER_00]: I know I do and I wanted to share with you one of my favorite cards which you can find in our store at our website.

[00:13:07] [SPEAKER_00]: girltaketheletepod.com.

[00:13:08] [SPEAKER_00]: It's a lotus flower floating on a waved background and this sentiment is from E.E. Cummings.

[00:13:16] [SPEAKER_00]: I carry your heart with me.

[00:13:20] [SPEAKER_00]: I carry it in my heart.

[00:13:25] [SPEAKER_00]: And I sure hope you enjoyed this and if you did please leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcast, tell a friend about us or join our public Facebook group, girl take the lead.

[00:13:35] [SPEAKER_00]: We also have a YouTube channel where your subscription would be appreciated once you're on YouTube search at girl take the lead.

[00:13:43] [SPEAKER_00]: And we've recently expanded to YouTube music where you can find a video of this episode.

[00:13:49] [SPEAKER_00]: And as I mentioned, you can check out our store on our website because I'm updating products monthly and I've just added Halloween cards and some birthday cards too.

[00:14:04] [SPEAKER_00]: So here are three takeaways from our episode one.

[00:14:08] [SPEAKER_00]: We can look at abundance from both an external and internal viewpoint to.

[00:14:15] [SPEAKER_00]: We can transcend self generated feelings of limitation and fear by taking responsibility for our own lives.

[00:14:25] [SPEAKER_00]: And three, when we add consciousness and awareness to the mix, we can be as roomy said, see the perfect sweetness blossoming in the depths of our hearts.

[00:14:40] [SPEAKER_00]: And we'll continue our theme for September about abundance both from a spiritual and functional perspective next week by exploring the book by Scott Galloway, the algebra of wealth, a simple formula for financial security.

[00:15:00] [SPEAKER_00]: It's about how life choices play out in our financial standing and wealth.

[00:15:06] [SPEAKER_00]: And one last thing, I'm going to to my own horn about something.

[00:15:13] [SPEAKER_00]: If you saw or listened to episode 181 you know what to do.

[00:15:20] [SPEAKER_00]: So here's my reason to to I applied and was selected to attend a leadership conference.

[00:15:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Later this week at the Nancy Walton Lorry Institute of Chiamagan in Memphis.

[00:15:34] [SPEAKER_00]: All different generations of the fraternity members and alumni will be represented.

[00:15:39] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm sure there's going to be lots of insights, I can't wait to share with you about leadership.

[00:15:46] [SPEAKER_00]: So please join us again and talk to you soon.

[00:15:50] [SPEAKER_00]: Bye.