Breaking Free from Poverty Consciousness

I had the profound honour of sitting down with Gary Douglas, the founder of Access Consciousness, to explore a topic that affects so many of us—poverty consciousness. This isn’t just about money; it’s about the deeper limitations we impose on ourselves through fear, judgment, and the unwillingness to choose differently.  

Gary is a best-selling author, international speaker, and a true pioneer in personal transformation. His work empowers people to step beyond societal conditioning and tap into their innate knowing. What unfolded in our conversation is a powerful dismantling of the myths that keep us stuck—and a roadmap to true abundance. Also, Access Consciousness is in 172 countries.  

The Real Poverty: Fear and the Illusion of Lack  

We began by addressing poverty consciousness—fear.  

“Fear is the way you ensure poverty,” Gary stated. “Are you really afraid? Do you have the courage to choose, or do you have the willingness to lose? Because when you’re afraid to choose, you’re only willing to lose.”  

This hit me hard. How often do we hold back because we’re afraid of failure, rejection, or not being “enough”?  

Gary continued, “Choice is always what creates the future. Choice is the source of creation—not what you do. What you do does not create; what you choose creates.”  

In other words, action follows choice. If we’re stuck in fear, we’re choosing limitation by default.  

The Trap of “I Can’t Afford This”  

Gary shared a personal story that perfectly illustrated this. Years ago, he saw a beautiful 14-karat gold doorknob at a garage sale for $10. He didn’t have the cash, and because of a past trauma around writing bad checks (his ex-wife had written many), he refused to take the risk.  

Instead of asking, “How can I get this?” he hesitated. By the time he returned with the money, the doorknob was gone.  

“That’s the real poverty of life,” he said. “When you decide you can’t afford something, you shut down possibility.”  

From that moment on, Gary shifted his approach. Instead of saying, “I can’t afford this,” he asked, “How can I get it?”  

This simple shift led him to acquire three ranches—all through creative financing. He offered sellers 15% cash down with the rest paid over 10 years. Now, those properties are nearly paid off.  

“If you live in the question of how, you’re always in the space of creation and possibility. That’s the real abundance of life.” 

The Hazard of Judgment and “Relevance”  

One of the most profound insights Gary shared is about judgment—the silent killer of abundance.  

“I don’t make anything relevant. I make everything a choice,” he explained. “If you do relevance, you have to judge. And when you judge, you eliminate—you don’t add.”  

This is a game-changer. How often do we dismiss opportunities and possibilities because they don’t fit our current “reality”?  

Gary’s approach? Ask questions instead of making conclusions.  

“When you’re not making things relevant, you can add anything to your life that you need, require, or desire.”  

From Spiritualism to True Consciousness  

We also delved into the difference between spirituality and consciousness—a distinction many misunderstand.  

“Conscious people don’t judge. Spiritual people do,” Gary said bluntly.  

He recounted attending a “spiritual” conference where he was criticised for laughing too much. “They said we were disturbing their ‘wah’—their harmony. I said, ‘What the f**k is wah?’”  

The irony? Many spiritual communities preach love and acceptance… yet enforce rigid rules about what’s “right.” True consciousness, Gary explained, is about freedom from judgment—allowing everything to exist without labeling it good or bad.  

Autism: A Different Kind of Intelligence  

Our conversation took an unexpected turn when we discussed autism. Gary’s perspective is deeply inspiring.  

“Autism is the expansion of the species into a higher order—not a disability,” he said.  

He spoke about his autistic grandsons, one of whom reads at a 12th-grade level at age 13 and has extraordinary creative abilities.  

“These kids are not disabled. They’re over-abled. They have access to awareness most of us don’t.”  

The issue, Gary explained, is that society sees autism as a “wrongness” rather than a different kind of genius.  

“If we started looking at their gifts instead of their ‘limitations,’ we’d be in much better shape.”  

The Power of Asking “How?”  

Throughout our talk, one theme kept resurfacing: the magic of questions.  

Gary’s life is proof that when you stop saying “I can’t” and start asking “How can I?” — miracles show up.  

He shared how he once went two weeks without a single business call. Instead of panicking, he asked:  

“What am I not willing to be that, if I were, would allow people to call me?”  

He realised some wanted him to be a “guru”—a role he resisted. The moment he Choose, “I’ll be a guru if that’s what they need,” the phone started ringing.  

“I’m willing to be whatever somebody needs at the time. That’s how you create.”  

Final Wisdom: Never Lie to Yourself  

As we wrapped up, Gary left me with a piece of advice I’ll never forget:  

“Be bluntly honest with yourself… and lie to everybody else.”  

At first, this sounded shocking. But he clarified:  

“If you’re honest with yourself, you can’t snow-job yourself. But if you only tell others what they want to hear—not what you think they should hear—you create ease in your relationships.”  

In other words: Know what is true for you, but don’t force it on others. Meet people where they are.  

Choosing Abundance Over Fear  

Talking to Gary is like receiving a masterclass in conscious creation. Poverty isn’t just about money—it’s about the stories we tell ourselves.  

Fear ensures poverty; choice creates freedom.  

Judgment limits; questions expand.  

What you do doesn’t create—what you choose does.  

If there’s one takeaway, it’s this: . Start asking “How can I create this?”.  

Because when you do, the universe conspires to show you the way.  

What’s one area of your life where you’ve been choosing fear over possibility? What if you asked, “How can I create……..?” instead?  

DISCOVER: accessconsciousness.com