L.M. Montgomery teaches us about the Law of Attraction!

Dear Parents,

I am presently in Prince Edward Island on a wonderful two week vacation with my 6 and 4 year old and my ever supportive husband. We are having an amazing time!

My husband and I went last night to see the newest island musical, "The Nine Lives of L.M. Montgomery". It was a musical biography of Lucy Maud Montgomery's life. Maud (as she preferred to be called) was our famous Canadian author of the beloved, "Anne of Green Gables" book. The musical was absolutely incredible.

As we were watching this incredibly accurate account of her life I was inspired to focus on the life lessons that we can learn from Lucy Maud Montgomery's life story that we can share with our children to help them to grow up to become strong, independant, entrepreneurial souls.

Here are some of the lessons that I learned last night:

1. Although Maud grew up in a world that was quite negative and dreary she was determined to write stories, novels, and poems that would inspire readers. She chose optimism over pessimism in her writing. It was a place where she could live the life that she really wanted to live, with no limits.

Here are the lessons of perseverance, determination, and the desire to leave behind her a better legacy than was her actual life experience.

How often have you become upset with your circumstances and wanted to just 'give up'? Use Maud as an example of someone who lived the life she wanted to live, even if it was only in her stories. She found her escape and she was determined to give all of her heroines a happy ending even if her own life lacked happy endings.

Teach your child never to give up, and to find a way to make the things happen that they wish to happen.

Teach them to create happiness for others even when the going gets tough for them personally.

2. Near the end of the play, one of Maud's characters, Marigold, mentions how Maud may have suffered her tragic life because she expected all of the negative things in her life to come true.

She made life hard on herself by keeping her true emotions locked up inside and only ever letting go in her writing (but even there, she always kept her walls up). She expected bad things to happen to her because they always had. She assumed that good things could only even happen to her in her stories. And so she lived up to her expectations.

I was very impressed with this insight, and refer it to the "law of attraction".

She expected bad things to happen and so they did. She felt she wasn't deserving of good and so she wasn't. It wasn't until after her death, when she could no longer assume only the negative, that she is finally given the full credit she so thoroughly deserved while she was alive.

What are you doing in your life that is stopping you from achieving your own happiness.

Keep a close eye on your child and how they are reacting to life. Are they expecting good things to happen to them or bad?

Make sure you step in and point it out to them, in either case, so that they may see for themself what their thoughts are doing for their actions.

3. Maud was shown in this musical portrayal to take charge of her career. When the publisher she had signed her contract with for "Anne of Green Gables" took advantage of her by paying her less than other publishers would, and by stealing her writings and locking her in to a no-end contract, she fought back.

Through years of suffering and endless lawyers bills she finally won the right to her writing freedom.

It took persistance and the absolute attitude that she knew she was being treated wrongly and that she deserved better to finally win this victory. But now her family and her PEI island are able to continue to receive their much deserved royalties and literary rights rather than her corrupt publisher.

Who in your life is taking advantage of you? What are you doing about it?

Are there any bullies in your child's school taking advantage of your child? Are they fighting for their rights or just letting themselves be run over?

There are school and private programs that help teach bully victims how to cope with bullies, and I would encourage you to look into these support groups if your child is being victomised.

Don't let your child grow up letting others take advantage of them. They will need good strong independant characters to become successful entrepreneurs.

They will need a strong sense of what is right and what is wrong as well as the instinctive insight to what is really in the grey areas of life.

These are only some of the incredible lessons to be learned from Maud's life but these were the ones I felt were most imporant to pass on to our kids to support their future entrepreneurial souls.

Here's to your child's ongoing financial success!

Cheers....Amanda van der Gulik....Excited Life Enthusiast!

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To Learn More Great Lessons on How to Teach Your Children About Money,

Take a Look at My "Insider's Secrets to Raising a Future Millionaire" eBook.

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The Best Way to Learn is to TEACH!

I've had a lot of parents tell me,

"I'm not very good financially, how can I teach my child to be smart with their money if I'm not very smart with mine?"

This is a GREAT question!

Have you ever heard the old saying, "The best way tot learn is to teach?"

Well, it's incredibly true!

Just because you have not been very smart with your money in the past doesn't mean that you must continue along this way.

The fact that you can see that you have not been very clever with your money in the past shows me that you are now at a cross roads. You can see what you have done wrong and are getting ready to change.

Don't wait until you get a handle on your finances BEFORE you start to teach your child about money, start today!

Right now!

Sit down with your child and show them how you have made money mistakes in the past. Then come up with a plan of how you are going to change these bad money habits for the future.

Be a rold model for your child. And don't be afraid to show your child your failures.

By showing your child that you are human, that you make mistakes you are actually helping your child to see that it is okay to make mistakes. That mistakes are just life's way of teaching you something.

I like to think of mistakes as just, "very expensive lessons!"

That's all.

Now if you make mistakes and don't learn from them, then you are asking for trouble.

If you begin on your path to financial freedom together with your child, not only will you be setting the best example in the world for your child's financial success but you will also be really connecting with them at a very personal and emotional level.

This could be the best bonding experience you ever make with your child.

Just imagine, you could be having weekly fiance meetings with your child where you both take turns describing how your week has gone financially.

Set the example, you go first. Tell your child about your week's financial successes and also about the financial mistakes that you have made this past week along with the lessons that you learned from those mistakes.

Then it's your child's turn.

You're child will be more likely to be open and honest with you if you show that you are being open and honest with them.

Have fun with it. Set a special family game night, where you play the CASHFLOW game or some other financial game together. It's a great way to open up the lines of communication.

Read books together on finances and then hold your own book club, so you can discuss the lessons together.

But most of all enjoy each moment of learning and teaching your child.

This should be fun!

Cheers....Amanda van der Gulik...Excited Life Enthusiast!

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For More Great Money Lessons for Kids read,

"The Insider's Secrets to Raising a Future Millionaire!"

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"Money Doesn't Grow on Trees!"

Does this saying sound familiar to you?

I bet you are probably one of many who heard this often growing up, right?

If not, you were lucky.

Let's turn a new leaf and start raising our own children a little differently.

How about we change the way we answer our kids when they want something that requires money that we do not have or refuse to give.

For example:

Jonny wants a new pair of brand-name, high-endurance, running shoes.

"Dad, I really need a new pair of 'brand-name', running shoes. They are the coolest and all the kids have them. I want a pair too! If I don't get a pair of them, then Shawn's going to beat me at basket ball and you know, I'm 10 times better than him at basket ball!"

Here are two different replies:

Dad replies with, "What do you think I'm made of? Money doesn't grow on trees you know!"

or

Dad replies with, "Well son, if those shoes mean that much to you and you truly feel that Shawn will have an unfair advantage over you in basket ball, then what is your plan? How do you plan to buy those shoes? Can you think of something that you can do, or make, or service, that can raise you the money so you can buy your own pair? If you really want those shoes, son, then you're going to have to come up with a good way to buy them. I believe you can do it. Come back to me when you have a plan and we'll see if we can work it out together. Good luck kiddo."

In Dad's first reply, dad shuts Jonny's hopes down but ALSO teaches him, although unintentionally, that life is all about 'scarcity'. Jonny learns from these negative replies that money is hard to come by. That it is difficult to get what you want in life. That other people will always have more than you. And the list goes on and on...

On the other hand in Dad's second reply, you can see that Dad is turning on the creative juices in his son's mind, "okay, so I want these new shoes, how can I go about making the money to get them myself?".

And as well as getting Jonny's creative juices flowing on some easy ways for kids to make money, Dad is also teaching some other incredibly valuable life lessons. Like: Abundance, Optimism, Faith in his son to find a way to fullfil his desire.

He is teaching him to be responsible for himself as well as encouraging him to come up with a plan and then to work together on making that plan come to action. This alone will diminish any thoughts of theft as an option.

So how are you talking to your own kids when it comes to money?

See if you can pay attention to the next time your child asks you about money. Listen to your own reply and then meditate on it for a minute or two.

How did that answer come across to your child?

Was your child turned off of money, or encouraged to take responsibility to come up with a creative way to attract their desired goods.

I hope you have enjoyed this thoughtful session, and I look forward to writing the next. If you have any specific topics that you would like me to talk about please just leave a message and I will do my best to answer your topics of interest where concerned with kids and money.

Cheers...Amanda van der Gulik...Excited Life Enthusiast!

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For 50 Free Money Making Ideas for Kids click here!
www.TeachingChildrenAboutMoney.com
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The Insider's Secret's to Raising a Future Millionaire

Hello Parents of Future Millionaires!

I am so excited!

My ebook, "The Insider's Secrets to Raising a Future Millionaire" has been a huge hit!

It is so heartening to know that the information, tools and resources that I have put together in my book have been able to touch the lives of so many families who really want to teach their kids all about money.

Here's what one mother wrote me:

"Hi Amanda,

I just wanted to congratulate you on a fantastic book!

I grew up in a household with a ´poverty mentality´ always struggling to make ends meet.

Since having my own children I have always want to teach them that nothing is impossible but time seems to fly by and I always think I am not doing enough to give them a financial education (too busy trying to make money to give them the best schooling I can afford!)

Your book has really given the push I needed to make this a priority. They are already 6 and
8 and I know you are right - the time to start is now.

If I say we don´t have the money for something they tell me to just go to the bank and get it - like it just appears magically.

I desperately want them to be financially secure so that they concentrate on enjoying life and there are loads of great resources in the book to help me teach them.

This is a must-have for all parents." Yolanda Solo, USA

Thank-you Yolanda, I am so pleased that I was able to give you what you needed to really get your financial education for your kids going. I'm sure that with persistence and by being a positive role-model for your children you will be able to succeed at raising your own kid entrepreneurs and future millionaires!

I'm so pleased that I was able to offer my loyal members my Last Chance Offer to get my ebook at the Pre-Launch reduced price. The ebook is now fully available and functional.

For all of you who have already purchased my ebook, a REAL BIG THANK-YOU! I really do appreciate your business and I truly look forward to working together to help your with all your educational needs and support while you are teaching your children about money.

Cheers....Amanda van der Gulik.....Excited Life Enthusiast!

9 Year Old Girl Takes Her Cake Decorating Passion And Turns It Into a Kidpreneur Business!

abc13.com: Girl, 9, is talented cake decorator and has the beginnings of a business 6/06/08:

"THE WOODLANDS, TX (KTRK) -- A pint-sized baker in The Woodlands is already starting to make a name for herself, decorating cakes for family and friends' occasions, worthy of praise from the experts.

For 9-year-old Valerie Pignetti, it's all in the squish. Too much can lead to a squash. She's learned the secret to her bakery rolling technique. 'You start in the middle and work your way out every time,' Valerie said. Like any good baker, Valerie first starts with a drawing of the cake she wants to make."

Dear Fellow Parents of Kidpreneurs,

I love finding our young entrepreneurs all through the world taking their passions and turning them into 'kidpreneur' businesses!

Valerie is a 9-year old inspiration for our own young children.

What passions does your child have?
How can you encourage them to take that passion and create their first business venture with it?

Food for thought...

Cheers...Amanda van der Gulik....Excited Life Enthusiast!

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Need some help figuring out ways to take your child's passion and turn it into their very first business venture?
Download my "50 Money Making Ideas For Kids" ebook, it's FREE!
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Don't Be Realistic!

How often have you heard people say,

"Be Realistic,"

right after you have told them all about one of your dreams?

These lovely people are called, "dream stealers" and although they may think that they are being helpful to you to keep you on the ground and be 'realistic' what they really are doing is damaging your beliefs, your visions.

It is so incredibly important to surround yourself with possitive people who honestly believe in your visions and goals and truly want to see you succeed.

These are the people who will help you achieve your goals.

Unfortunately in your life, you will find them all around you and your child, you will come across these 'dream stealers'.

They are in your close circle of friends and family and they are hard to avoid.

It is very important to keep you and your child motivated towards your own true goals and to put up an imaginary wall between your "well-meaning loved ones" and yourself and your own family that you wish to protect.

It happens to me daily. I constantly get told by well meaning family members or friends that my visions and dreams are 'unrealistic' and that I should be 'real' and just live my life the way that they think I should.

If you've viewed my 'mind movie' then you will already know some of my own personal goals and dreams and you will know that homeschooling my own children and teaching other children about money are two very important and personal goals of mine.

Yesterday, my father-in-law, although in his mind "meant to be helpful and supportive", told be straight out that my children should be in school and that he had already noticed that my children were falling behind socially because of this 'lack' of socialization that homeschooling brings.

Now had I not had the supportive friends that I am blessed to have and also had I not had an incredibly supportive husband, then I may have taken my father-in-law's remarks straight to my heart and felt that I was doing harm to my children by following my dreams etc. etc.

Instead, however, solid in my goals and visions and constantly surrounded by possitive and inspirational, supportive friends, I was able to look past this remark and see what was really behind it.

Here are some points about his remarks that I will share with you so that you too, may be able to look past the remarks of your own 'well-meaning' friends and family and know that there are other people out in the world just like you who also need support and that you are not alone in your dreams.

1. Firstly, I must tell you that my father-in-law is a teacher and so must take it at some level personally that we chose not to send our chidren to school.

I can fully understand his concern. School is what he knows, this is what he feels comfortable with.

I am confident that if he took the time to really get a full understanding of all that is involved with homeschooling socially then he would change his perception.

2. Secondly, his perception of my children's lack of socialisation skills was also affected by the fact that he had only ever observed their social behaviours in a country where they didn't speak the native language.

Had he seen how they react socially in an English speaking society instead of the Dutch speaking society of his island then he would have been better able to see that my children were a little bit at a disadvantage.

Most children would feel slightly out of place in a country where they do not speak the language.

Ironically, the beauty of us taking this trip to this beautiful Dutch speaking Carribean island, is that my children are now learning to speak Dutch and are making many new and interesting friends.

Again, had I not had that solid background of exceptional support people in my life then I'm sure I would have found it incredibly hard to deal with these types of negative comments and would surely take most of them very personally.

Now, however, even though it will still never feel nice to have 'dream stealers', I am able to take a step back out of the situation and see their comments for what they really are.

You have a support network here. We truly want to see you succeed.

I look forward to reading your comments on this post and reading your own experiences to share with our readers so we can continue to build a strong possitive support group for each other as we follow our dreams for ourselves and our children.

Cheers......Amanda van der Gulik......Excited Life Enthusiast!