I don’t know about you, but I was brought up to NOT talk about money. I was encouraged to quietly give and reluctantly receive. Some of the phrases I heard around me where things like:
- Money is the root of all evil (I’ve since discovered that the quote is from the Bible and states that “the love of money alone” is the root of all evil.)
- People referred to the wealthy as ‘filthy or stinking’ rich.
- I was told that money can’t buy happiness and that money encourages greed.
I see capable women missing out on golden opportunities all the time because they believe they don’t deserve money, or they fear being judged as greedy, or ‘too’ ambitious. They seek approval and permission to thrive. Their self-talk is negative and self-sabotaging, for example:
- I don’t make enough money to save.
- It’s hard to get rich these days.
- I’ll never pay off this mortgage.
- I won’t be able to charge that much.
- No one will ever pay me that amount.
- Why bother learning about finances, it’s so boring.
- Investing is so complicated, I’ll never understand it.
The truth is for the first few years of running my coaching business I made very little money. I didn’t believe I was ‘worth it’ I just wanted to help others. However, I gave too much and became exhausted and resentful. Not a positive outcome for anyone.
But during the past 18 months my income has increased substantially, and I can tell you that having extra money gives you more choice and autonomy, it increases confidence and allows you to do the things that bring you joy. And, the best part is that the more you have, the more you can give—you don’t help the poor by being poor!
Steps to changing your money mindset:
- Believe you deserve it.
- Increasing your self-worth helps increase your net worth.
- Change your money story.
- Be open to abundance.
- Act as if you already have it.
- Create a vision board.
- Increase joy and celebrate the small wins.
- If you’re a giver, be open to receiving.
To learn more about self-care see: Reignite your Spark
