It’s an election year, so it’s all about voting. We have the valuable privilege of choosing the people who make decisions for our government and our nation, by our vote. But today I want to talk about a different vote, one we have the opportunity to make every day, whether it’s an election year or not. I read an article today called The 7 Principles of Mindful Wealth by Mike Adams. Mr. Adams is passionate and extreme in everything he writes about, and this article is no exception. But his penchant for the very end of the spectrum just means that he has the potential to be effective at making change. The reader doesn’t need to be Mike Adams, the reader just has to be open to his message.
The message that struck me in the article…I vote with every dollar I spend.
So how do you spend money in service of protecting life? It’s an important question, and the more wealth you have, the more important it is to find the right answers here.Essentially, you must be mindful that you vote with your dollars. Everything you buy is something you encourage. If you buy meat harvested from a cow, for example, you encourage the harvesting of more cows. If you buy gasoline, you are voting for more drilling of oil. If you buy non-organic junk food, you’re asking the food corporations to manufacture more non-organic junk food! What you buy (and consume) determines what your money supports.
On the other hand, if you buy organic, non-processed foods, then you are using your money to vote in favor of organic farming. If you stop buying cow meat, then you reduce demand for cow meat, and you deny revenues to the cow factory farms that produce the meat.
If you hire natural-oriented health practitioners to support your health (chiropractors, massage therapists, acupuncturists, homeopaths, etc.) then you are voting for their professions. Every dollar you spend is a vote for the thing you spend it on!
Mindful redistribution of wealth means spending money in the service of life. So every dollar you spend goes to support something (or someone) that’s having a positive, creative impact on the planet. In this way, the more money you mindfully spend, the greater the positive impact on the planet!
Did you read that last sentence carefully? The more money you mindfully spend, the greater your positive impact on the planet!
I’ll bet you never thought about spending money as bringing you good karma. But it does when you spend it mindfully.
It’s easy to think of the good our charity dollars can do. If I support my church, or sponsor a child, or donate to a cause I believe in, those dollars can make a positive impact on our world. But the dollars I spend on goods and services also make an impact!
In reality, you can’t vote positively with every dollar. Whole Foods Market may promote organic farms and buy energy credits to offset their footprint…but they don’t sell Charmin! Have you tried recycled toilet paper? Oh yes, it’s a real thing. And while no one said anything, everyone who has been over at my apartment in the past week or two might know just how it feels. 
It’s about mindfulness. Don’t get stressed out trying to be perfect. Just be mindful! Think about the choices you make. Don’t shop somewhere just because it’s habit. Make your votes for a reason. Does the company make choices you agree with? Is the store convenient for you to go to? Is the price right for your budget? What’s important to you? What can you live with? What can you sacrafice, and what do you need to keep?
