I’m historically bad with money. Catastrophically bad at times. Get Rich, Lucky Bitch by Denise Duffield Thomas was very appealing to me from the moment I came across Denise. I bought it, then shelved it. I followed her blog and was inspired, but couldn’t bring myself to pick up the book. Denise was very appealing to me, as was her message. A fun, down to earth woman who could not only teach me how to manage my money, but also how to manifest more? It sounded too good to be true, and that was the rub (or so I thought). Denise’s teachings hinge on The Law of Attraction, which until late 2015 I was convinced was guff.

Hokum.

The Law of Attraction

Think good thoughts and you’ll magically get what you want?

Sorry, no. I’m a pessimist, through and through, I can’t accept Woo Woo nonsense like that.

This is from a person who has her Tarot read and regularly practices earthing.

I’m down with the Woo Woo. But also struggled all my life to achieve things, and hold on to the things I’ve earned.

I’ve lost a lot.

I don’t believe in getting something for nothing. I believe good things take work. Hard work. And lots of it.

Even so, Denise has a fabulous vlog that I now watch religiously. I’m totally hooked. At some point it became something of an absurdity that I’d NOT read her books. I’m a book worm, a voracious reader, I read A LOT. That there was a person out there I admired, respected, and valued, who had not one but TWO books in print, that I hadn’t read, became a sore point.

Ironically, it was only after I read Get Rich, Lucky Bitch that I realised why I’d been putting off reading it for so long.

It was a money block!

Money Blocks

I really didn’t understand the concept of money blocks until Denise came along. I understood very well that the events of your life leave traces. Certain ways of thinking and behaving that are difficult to shake. But I’d never connected this to money, and the reasons I found it so difficult to manage my money. Get Rich, Lucky Bitch lays everything out in plain, simple, and really very non-Woo Woo terms that I could understand. The Law of Attraction isn’t magic Get Rich Quick pixie dust you sprinkle on your pillow at night. At least, it’s not the way Denise teaches it. Denise’s method is a practical way of focusing your energy and efforts on the things you want to achieve. 

[Tweet theme=”tweet-box-shadow”]Get Rich Luck Bitch by @DeniseDT is a fab, practical guide to understanding & improving your relationship with #money[/Tweet]

Nothing Good Comes Easy

The reason I’d always had such an issue with The Law of Attraction was the notion that you didn’t have to do anything to get stuff. That the universe would just give it to you because you asked.

I’ve spent my life asking, begging, imploring the universe to give me all manner of things, and in my experience the only thing that gets you what you want, is you.

Working.

Hard.

I always believed my main issue with money was mania. One of the hallmarks of mania (a state I frequently endure due to my bipolar disorder) is overspending. This is an issue a LOT of people have. You think you have more money than you do. Money you expected to materialise before that important bill is due never appears. You spend money you know you need for something important on something frivolous. You’re an impulse buyer.

None of these things are exclusive to bipolar disorder.

But bipolar has a nasty habit of amplifying things. When I’m sad I’m sadder than most people can imagine feeling. When I’m manic….well let’s just say I do everything in the extreme.

The Money Manifesting Blueprint

I came to Get Rich, Lucky Bitch wanting a fix. Like most people I knew there was an issue but didn’t want to admit how bad it was, or put in the work needed to solve the problem. The Law of Attraction really did seem like magic pixie dust to me – a quick fix, if only I could wrap my head around how it worked. As Denise says in the book, she came to The Law of Attraction with her ‘Virgo brain’, which needed clear, actionable steps to take in order to make this thing work. She, like me, understood that it wasn’t really magic, although it often seems that way.

[Tweet theme=”basic-white”] The Law of Attraction doesn’t work unless you do! Get Rich, Lucky Bitch is the blueprint I needed to start the work.[/Tweet]

Reasons and Excuses

When manic I can rack up debts in the thousands in a matter of days. No plan in place to repay the money, no thought to how I’ll pay the rent. This was a HUGE problem prior to my diagnosis, and caused me an awful lot of trouble. Since my diagnosis it’s not as bad, or as frequent, but it’s still and issue.

It’s also an excuse.

There have been many times when mania has caused terrible overspending that has had serious consequences for years.

There have also been times I just really wanted a new pair of shoes.

Or a book.

Or ten books.

These things happen (seriously, if books were bricks I could build a house to live in rent free!).

I was looking for someone to give me practical help to address the overspending that comes with mania. Stop gaps to put in place. Ways of keeping myself from doing it and strategies to cope when I did. This was what drew me to Denise Duffield Thomas to begin with. But what I actually needed, and what kept me from reading Get Rich, Lucky Bitch was quite different.

The Blocks I Never Knew I Had

One of the things Denise covers in the book are the reasons we sabotage ourselves and our money. She discusses the blocks we may have that ensure we never quite have enough money. You know, that ubiquitous thing that empties your bank account by the end of every month? Things we do subconsciously that prevent us from earning more, or holding on to the money we earn.

Mania has caused me many problems, but having read the book, I’ve realised money blocks have caused even more. The main one for me is the belief that I don’t deserve to have money. I’ve wasted so much of it in the past, it’s a right I gave up. This is why I hadn’t read the book for so long – it wasn’t that I was afraid it wouldn’t work. It was that I was afraid it would! I wasn’t ready to earn more money, because I didn’t think I deserved it. There was this overwhelming feeling that I deserved to struggle for cash each and every month, because of all the money I’d spent without thought in the past. I was also afraid of having money because I believe I will spend it all (frivolously). 

Get Rich, Lucky Bitch!

Denise looks at these, and many other issues surrounding how we think and act when it comes to money. I was surprised, and delighted, by this practical and analytic approach to a topic I’d previously considered to be very ‘Woo Woo’. It’s still a little Woo Woo, but no more so than earthing. Denise goes through the steps to manifesting money, many of which are very practical:

  • Pin down exactly how much money you want to manifest
  • Ensure it’s a realistic goal
  • Figure out exactly what you need to do to earn that money – yes, earn it, you’re not asking the universe to give it you for free!
  • Find ways that help you stay focused on what you have to do, and what you’re trying to manifest

While there’s much talk of asking the Universe for things, changing passwords to represent your goal, and writing your goals down daily, there’s method in the magic. It boils down to mindset, not witchcraft. I’ll admit, I’m disappointed, I love magic! But I’m also a practical person. I know you can’t achieve goals if you don’t know what they are. I’m fully aware that failure is inevitable if you are constantly sabotaging yourself. You can’t expect money to appear from nowhere. You have to have a plan, take action, be consistent, and focus.

Get Rich, Luck Bitch is the guidebook to doing just that. Highly recommended!