Over the past several years there has been a push on practicing ethical or fair trade for goods that we purchase – and rightly so. No one I know enjoys their first cup of coffee in the morning knowing that it has been carried miles and miles to a market by a 6 year old child who has been denied schooling and forced into labour due to economic or other reasons. We place value on people and therefore lobby for better work conditions and fair trade.
Are you practicing the universal law of fair trade?
Why then are you not doing the same for yourself in your own business? True enough you may not be forced into slavery or have to walk barefoot in the snow to deliver your goods – but are you really valuing yourself and practicing fair trade?
-Do you charge enough for your product?
-Do you pay yourself fairly for the work that you do?
-Do you work a reasonable number of hours a week?
As important as these questions are, there are a few more that are just as important:
-Do you pay for services rendered or try to get a bargain or discount on services that are already fairly priced?
-Do you demand more than reasonable service or have unreal expectations from others?
-Do you owe anyone money and choose to continue purchasing – refusing or neglecting to pay a bill for which you have received something offered for a fair price?
Upsetting the universal balance
There is a universal law concerning wealth and it revolves around the fair trade concept. The fair trade law says that unless fair compensation is offered for services rendered there is an imbalance. This puts both parties in a transaction in a state that is negative.
The seller who has not received fair due suffers the negative effects that challenge their self esteem and makes them question their true value, and the purchaser fails to value the valuable service or product that the seller has given. Resentment may grow for both parties. And that negative energy responds to the law of attraction – and attracts more negative energy.
It’s not about the money? Wrong!
I used to tell myself stories trying to convince myself that it was not about the money. My misplaced altruism misled myself and others. (I thought this was honourable) Unfortunately this did not help me feed my family and I felt like a failure and put me in a perpetual negative spin that I could not escape despite the positive mantras about wealth that I said every morning and all day long.
Subconsciously I placed a low value on what I had to offer and attracted others who did the same. I complained about the high prices of other’s services or worse yet in an effort to place values on others gave away things and services of value all the while thinking they deserved a break. My thinking was unbalanced.
Universal Laws work together
It was not until I heard a teaching that tied in the law of attraction with the universal law of fair trade that I began to see how until I valued myself – I would never reach the goals I had hoped to reach – no matter how hard I worked! I started to pay myself for all the work I did. (until then I only paid myself a lump sum at Christmas)
I made the decision to pay all the bills I had that were outstanding – even if I had decided before that I would not pay them. I made a list of all those debts and debtors that I had and those I had disputes with and set out to repair broken relationships to the best of my ability.
As I began to pay myself first – more business began coming my way – seemingly from nowhere. This gave me the money I needed to pay my outstanding debt . I re-negotiated with those who had been giving me services at an unfair discount and demanded that I pay the rate they were worth.
All of these things contributed to a feeling of self worth which attracted those who valued me and my services. In almost a universal instant my world changed direction and I began to attract exactly what I deserved without guilt. I could then give what I wanted when I wanted.
And all because I began to practice the universal law of fair trade.
"One of the keys to effective communication and dispute resolution is understanding ourselves and how we think and also understanding how others are wired as well. Each of us has personality styles that are unique to ourselves - however there are also patterns as well. When you understand the differing personality styles and their blends - you begin to see people as they are with more understanding! For more information on understanding personality styles please contact Mandie at president@roaringwomen.com."
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Mandie Crawford is a marketing expert, business coach, trainer and motivational speaker who was recently awarded Calgary Business Woman of the Year for her contributions to the business community.
Mandie also has skills and expertise in providing high quality guidance in time management and system implementation for small a medium sized businesses. Her passion as a business and professional development coach is to helps women recognize their value and self worth.
She is the President of Roaring Women Ltd which is Canada’s premier national business support group for women in business that focuses on connecting, promoting and educating women in business. In her goal to encourage and educate women in building business across the country, she launched and completed a 6 week coaching tour in partnership with Staple Business Depot in 2008 where she coached over 600 women in business.
Mandie is mother to four children and 3 stepchildren and one highly energetic chocolate lab! Ms Crawford is also a former award winning police officer with Halton Regional Police.