There are countless books, tapes and seminars devoted to harnessing the desire to make more money. By and large they all have something worthwhile to say and are invariably written and delivered to get you fired up and leave you inspired. However, once the books have been closed and the voices become lost in the hustle and bustle of daily life, the messages and insights that hit you so deep at the time, can sometimes fade to little more than a distant memory. If you ever find this happening, here are a few tips to get you back on track.

1. Know why you want more money

Ask yourself this question;

"If I could lay my hands on all the money I need to do what I want with my life, what changes would I have created around me a year from now?"

Note that I do not ask you to put a figure on the sum of money you want, but rather the changes in your life you want the money to bring about.

Ask most people if they want more money and they will say yes. Ask them how much and mostly you'll get some vague figure or a phrase like 'as much as I can spend'. But if you're serious about creating more money, you have to be more specific than that.

You do have to know how much you want in very precise terms, how you plan to get it and when you want it by. This gives the practical, analytical side of your thinking something to focus on. But that's only part of the equation.

What really accelerates the process of becoming richer is knowing why you want more money, how having it will effect your lifestyle and the kind of changes you expect this to bring about. Get that right and creating the money itself becomes a whole lot easier.

2. Get your thoughts and feelings in tune with your goals.

It's easy enough to sit down in the quiet ambience of a carefully chosen time you set aside to focus on what you want to achieve.

However, there will be occasions when the 'slings and arrows of outrageous fortune' come at you when you least need them. And when they do, you may find yourself bounced off track, causing you to lose your cool and slip back into negative thought and behaviour patterns.

How often have you written out goals and affirmations directed toward changing your financial circumstances for the better, only to find the arrival of a certain brown envelope brings you down to earth with a thud?

It's almost as though the 'real world' has sent an instant messenger to respond to your 'I feel affluent and all my needs are met" rhetoric with "Not according to this!"

The best way to combat this kind of setback is to align your thoughts and feelings with a very real sense that what you are aiming for is on its way to you from the future. But not just some vague, idealistic future that inhabits your hopes and dreams. This is your specific future that you are building in your thoughts, words and deeds right now.

Mystics say that time is an illusion. This may be so, but I prefer to view time as an environment where thoughts and desires can be made manifest. The big question to ask yourself is whether you are prepared to accept what your past has made manifest, or focus on what your future CAN make manifest.

The future you are planning for right now.

3. The only plan worth having is an Action Plan.

This is the point where many people, who try but fail to improve their personal circumstances through goal setting and positive thinking, fall down.

Planning for the kind of future you want and the degree of abundance and prosperity this will hold, will only fuel your hopes and dreams - unless they are practical Action Plans.

One of the clearest teachers of personal prosperity, I've ever had the good fortune to learn from, summed this up in a simple sentence;

"The God Force can't mail you a cheque from the clouds"

What you need is a practical, personal Action Plan that is able to open new ways for you to receive money through the normal channels of our world's monetary systems. You may get unexpected bonuses from unanticipated places along the way, but in order to open yourself to a greater flow of money, you first need to take positive, practical steps to make this a reality.

4. New Paths to Prosperity

So, where do you start to find these new riches?

One place you may want to consider is the very place you're reading this article. The internet. There are now ways to run a profitable online business that you can create and shape to suit your personality and interests.

You don't have to sell out on your personal values and buy into someone else's programme. Learn from others, yes. But then take what you have learned and apply it to a business you can truly call your own.

Creating your own online business boils down to two things. Firstly, finding a product or service that can be sold via the internet and secondly, drawing potential customers to your point of sale. These are the fundamentals that make successful online businesses work. The rest is fine tuning.