PATRICK RYAN: Money is energy in the form of currency. Energy likes to move around and it is available to us all equally. Money itself does not have an opinion about whom it should flow to; from money's point of view it is not personal. We tend to make it personal from our side of the relationship.

In its most tangible form money is definitely important to our ability to live the kind of lifestyle that we want. We trade it for goods and services, some of us save it, invest it, others let it pass through with no attempt to accumulate it while others chase it like a god and sell themselves out for it.

As a coach I enjoy the privilege of being trusted by my clients with their most intimate stories, secrets and situations. Of course the subject of money comes up a lot. As well, I have been an entrepreneur my entire life and I also experienced an amazing journey as a Buddhist monk in Burma. Both monks and entrepreneurs use money to accomplish that which they intend. I am sure that we have all known people in our lives that have struggled with money and others that are able to attract more of it then they can even spend in this lifetime.

In my book, Awakened Wisdom: A Guide to Reclaiming Your Brilliance , I present many ideas about how to walk an awakened walk throughout this life. Money is one subject that reveals a lot about where people's edges are in living consciously.

Money is not inherently good or bad; it just is. When we are fully in touch with the Divine Essence of who we are, that is the highest wisest aspect of our being, then we are open to receiving, exchanging, investing and we do so in a good way. We create the flow of prosperity in a way that honors our values and the well being of all those around us. Your Divine Essence understands the abundance of available energy and is open and creative with ideas on how you can serve the unfolding adventure of this Universe. When you serve as your first priority then the receiving will follow.

Another part of our nature is Distorted Self. Distorted Self lives through greed, hoarding, fear, doubt, judgment and related energies. When our distorted nature is out in front running our process then we will get caught in a swirl of attachment, hoarding, avoidance and we are very likely to make very poor decisions about how to attract money and then how to use it once we have it.

I was intrigued about the relationship that the monks had to money. Everyday I along with all the other monks had to go out and collect alms. This is a form of begging that is accepted in the traditions of the Burmese culture. Most often people would put rice and curry in my bowl as I passed by, sometimes people would offer money.

As the monks gathered back at the monastery we would pool our food together and turn the money over to the monastery where it would be used to buy supplies that were not otherwise being donated. If a villager was in some form of need then the monastery would give them the money to assist them in solving their dilemma. I was struck by the qualities of trust, ease and grace that were so present around the idea of money and resources.

As an entrepreneur I have had times when abundant amounts of money has flowed in and other times when the flow was more like a trickle. In the end it has always worked out and that is a good thing to remember. It will all work out. As an entrepreneur you have a very direct affect on your cash flow. The most important thing you can do is to keep your attention on your customers. Serve them well; make them excited about doing business with you. Be innovative in what you offer and listen to what you are being asked to provide. Act with a delighted urgency and be patient. If you do this then the flow of money will always find its way to you in a good way.

Trust, ease and grace would be good energies to bring into your money conversations. If you were money where would you most like to flow? Would you want to move towards a person of light, trust, ease and grace or would you more likely move towards greed, desperation and grabbing. Energy, that is money, will always follow the path that provides the least resistance and the most attraction. If you get uptight around money then you choke off the flow through your own tightness. When you grab at money you limit what you can hold compared to keeping an open hand.

In the book Awakened Wisdom I present many ideas to consider in living an awakened life. One of them is to look at your thoughts, words and actions and ask your Self whether they are creating beauty. If so then they are likely from Divine Essence; if not then they may be from your Distorted Self in which case it would be a good idea for you to reconsider them before you let them pass from you out into the world.

Here are some ideas to consider around money.

1. Be generous with what you have. To create a flow try giving generously first and be open to receive. Give according to what you can reasonable offer and do so without any expectation of a return.

2. Allow money to flow through you. Invest it, grow it and pass it along to others that can also benefit from it.

3. Clean up your relationship to it. If you have a negative relationship to money, perhaps you think it is bad or you think you will never get enough so you chase it, then you have an opportunity to get connected to your Divine Essence and redesign your perspective and relationship with money.

4. Perform your service to the world for the sake of your contribution and allow money to flow towards you as a result. This is very different then doing something for the money. This is serve first and then receive with ease.

5. Respect it. Do not worship it.

6. Enough is enough. Just as you drink enough water each day to be healthy that too is the way with money. Recognize what is enough to take care of yourself well and responsibly and enjoy the process.

I wish you a beautiful relationship with prosperity in general and money is just one part of that.