Let’s talk money, honey
One of the first questions most people asked me when I told them I was quitting my job to pursue my coaching business full-time is "wow, do you have enough clients to replace your salary?"
The short answer? Hell no!
The longer answer? No. I set a savings goal for myself for how much money I would need saved in order to feel comfortable not having a paycheck while I got my business up and running. My answer was 6 months worth of basic expenses. When I knew I could hit that, I gave my notice at my job.
But every time I heard that question I would get sucked into this idea that success = money, something society trains us everywhere we look, and my spiral would look something like:
I would judge myself for not having more clients
I would get scared that nobody will hire me and I'll have to live in a cardboard box
I would come from a place of fear and scarcity when talking with potential new clients (not the ideal energy to attract new people)
The breakthrough for me is that my "work" doesn't have to be all about money.
I can break the scarcity cycle and continue doing this work from my heart, and not get sucked into fear. And when coming from my heart, I'll attract the best clients and then money won't be an issue.
Each one of us is walking around with a hundred stories we believe are true about money.
These stories are things we've learned from media, our parents, friends, old wives tales, fortune cookies, you name it.
A couple of my favorite money stories are:
Money doesn't grow on trees
Money is the root of all evil
Money can't buy happiness
Maybe we don't think we really believe any of these, but think about it... Do you act like you have to work really hard to earn money? Do you hate talking about money and think it's bad? Do you believe earning money is out of your own control?
All of these stories are things we can break through in coaching. One of my first big breakthroughs in money resulted in creating a savings account for travel that allowed me to go on my dream vacation to Hawaii and even upgrade my flight seats without hesitation.
A great way to start understanding your limiting beliefs about money is to think about it like a relationship.
Think how you always behave with/talk about/relate to money.
Do you believe that there will never be enough? Thus you tend to save as much as possible and aren't willing to invest it in yourself?
Do you believe you have to work really hard to get any? Then you're always working your ass off just to get by.
Do you believe the amount of money you make is completely out of your control? Then you begin to hate money and whoever is giving it to you.
Instead of limiting yourself, try to create a new, more empowering story around money.
I used to live by a disempowering story about money that "you have to work really hard to make good money."
I now have a more empowering story "money is like water."
To me this means that money can flow freely from one person to the next. There is enough money for everyone. When you invest in yourself or others, the money will come back around. When you're doing something you love, the money will flow freely and with ease.
I learned this from the book "The Soul of Money" by Lynne Twist. It is so worth a read if you're looking to break down your barriers around money. Lynne explains her beliefs about money as so in the book...
“Money is like water. It can be a conduit for commitment, a currency of love. Money moving in the direction of our highest commitments nourishes our world and ourselves. What you appreciate appreciates. When you make a difference with what you have, it expands. Collaboration creates prosperity. True abundance flows from enough; never from more. Money carries our intention. If we use it with integrity, then it carries integrity forward. Know the flow—take responsibility for the way your money moves in the world. Let your soul inform your money and your money express your soul."
Once you find your new empowering story about money think about what new actions you can take from your new story. What's one new thing you can do with your money this week? I'd love to hear what you learned! Shoot me a note at Brittany@hellovelocity.co
Brittany is a life & leadership coach, trainer, and the founder of Hello Velocity where she helps ambitious individuals and corporate teams enhance their performance by working smarter, not harder. When she isn't building her business, you can find her planning her next travel adventure, taking a yoga or kickboxing class, or checking out a local brewery. She was recently acknowledged as one of the top coaches in Charlotte, NC.
