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Most of the time, we try to analyze giving and receiving when we're not receiving enough! Our sense of lack is the real problem. When we have a surplus, it's easy to give because we're already receiving plenty.

Here's the good news: If you're not receiving as much as you'd like, you have the ability to jump start the flow.

How? By giving first.

My friend and prosperity teacher Darel Rutherford talks about learning to prime the pump as a child visiting relatives in the country. You start by putting a little water in the pump first, then pumping the handle. It may feel as if nothings happening. But if you keep pumping, the water rushes out.

Giving primes the pump.

Most business people find it natural, in times of scarcity or feared scarcity, to pull back; Stop spending, cut programs, don't hire, lay off. They're letting the pump go dry, just as they're letting their connection to spirit go dry.

Instead of pulling back, look for a way to give a little first. But remember this: Law of Attraction responds to your feelings, not your actions. Giving from a sense of desperation won't prime the pump. You have to give and feel good.

Feel good about giving when your business is suffering? Yes. If you want to master the Law of Attraction, that's exactly what you must do.

The easiest way I've found to feel good when things don't look good is to step back into a larger perspective on my life. See if you can rise above the details of your difficulties, if only for a few minutes.

How? Try this. You've probably been in some bad jams at other times in your life, and somehow you've always made it through. So you'll make it through this time too. Chances are you've known other people who've faced worse challenges than yours and who have not only survived but gone on to great success. Remember that spirit supports you always and that you, yourself, are spirit in all its richness and generosity.

Feeling better? Now it's time to act. What could you spend a little money on that would feel good? A gift for a client? For a loved one? For a pet? Or a check to charity?

You don't need to give so much that you drive yourself back into feeling anxious. Just give out a little more than you think you can "afford." Stretch just a bit, so the universe can reciprocate by sending back more too. Once you give, let go of expecting your return in a certain way or by a specific date. But don't let go of expecting abundance, because the act of giving has primed the pump. Stay expectant -- that's how you pump the handle, even when there's no water in sight.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andrea Conway, M.Ed., C.C., is a Law of Attraction success coach and marketing consultant helping business owners achieve more while working less. This article is reprinted with permission from her free newsletter. Subscribe at http://www.successfulselfemployment.com and receive a FREE e-report, "7 Ways to Jumpstart Your Business Success Using the Law of Attraction."

(c) 2007 Successful Self Employment