Our relationship to money reflects how we feel about our power to affect the world.” -Shakti Gawain
I’ve been talking more about making money doing what we love.
While making money doing what we love is a big part of my message and mission, I want to clear something up: it’s all about the money, and it’s not about the money at all.
(side note: I sincerely believe with my whole heart that the world will be a better place when more heart-centered, passion-driven people are fulfilled and making money that they can put back into the economy...and can vote with their dollars.)
I’m not even talking about the things money can’t buy or our version of success, which hey, are important and invaluable. What I’m interested in is the role money plays in our mindset and in building a business.
See, I’m in the business of helping people build businesses they’re wildly in love with (that also get them paid).
A part of building a sustainable business is generating income and being able to consistently know where your money is coming from. That’s how we keep the lights on.
Building a profitable business we’re wildly in love with also requires taking care of ourselves. I have yet to meet a successful entrepreneur who isn’t focused on real self-care.
As Denise Duffield-Thomas says, ‘Don’t kill the golden goose.’ And, y’all, keeping a golden goose (that’s you, by the way) in prime condition takes money.
I don’t know any other way around it. Life takes money. Building a business takes money. Taking care of yourself takes money.
The best things in life are free. It’s true. But you want to know what makes it a whole lot easier to be in the mindset and position to enjoy those best free things? The money that supports us and takes care of us.
Spending time with your kids might be free, but being able to invest in additional support, so you have the mental bandwidth and extra time to be with your kids costs money.
Friendship might be free, but that phone and internet that connects you when you live on the other side of the country costs money.
Money isn’t the enemy. Wanting to make money for the beautiful work you put out into the world isn’t a bad thing.
I'm going to attempt to contain the can of worms here, but suffice it to say, that's half of the equation: it is about the money.
Now to the other half: It’s also not about the money at all.
THIS is why I’m really obsessed with talking about money. As one of my clients so brilliantly put it, "Money is a beautiful lens" to view our mindset and stuff through.
Turns out, money is an incredible topic that allows us to see what’s actually going on with us.
You better believe whatever stories you tell yourself about money, selling, making more money are also going to be the same blocks, beliefs, and stories that show up everywhere else in your business and life.
How we do one thing is how we do everything.
Tell me how you feel about money, tell me how you feel about asking for money, receiving money, selling and charging in your business, and I can tell you what’s going on with you.
If you’re scared of asking for the sale because you think it feels pushy, I’d guess there are other areas of your business and personal life where you’re not asking for what you want because you don’t want to be ‘too much’ or annoying.
I know there's a good chance you're not holding boundaries and feel taken advantage of in your day-to-day life if you’re care-taking people in a sales conversation and always discounting your prices or avoiding them all together.
If you think you’re not good enough to make the kind of money you actually want, pretty sure there’s an ‘I’m not good enough’ story popping its head up all over your business.
You probably think you have to work hard and push to get anything you want in life if you think the only way to hit your next money goal is by working to the bone.
Money is simply a tool, an energy exchange, and a powerful lens that tells us exactly what’s going on with you.
It’s not about the money, it’s about the path money opens up for us.
It’s about what we need to clear and unblock to allow ourselves to receive money. It’s about the way we have to dig deep, believe in our work, and love ourselves enough to be able to ask for money.
It’s about the beautiful way we step into our power and confidence when we say, "I’ve had enough with the bs stories. It’s OK for me to ask for what I want; it’s OK for me to share my value; it’s OK for me to believe in my worth; and it’s OK to ask to be paid well for the work I do."
Money is beautiful if we allow it to be. It’s really more about how we look at it and what we do with it that makes money mean anything at all.
I mean, come on, money on its own is a bunch of paper, metals, and at this time in history, numbers we send back and forth through the internet.
Money's only worth what we say it is, which is pretty fascinating considering wars have been waged over this stuff...and I'm writing you over a thousand words about it right now.
If you want to build a business you’re wildly in love with, if you want to do the work that sets your heart on fire, if you want to impact people with your mission and message, money is part of making this happen and that’s not a bad thing.
It’s so much a part of my mission to help more passion-driven, heart-centered entrepreneurs make money doing what they love because yes, I want you to make lots and lots of money. I want you to feel safe, free, and sourced. I want you to feel successful.
I also want to help shift the stigma, shame, and guilt we have around money.
The shame we feel on every spectrum about our earnings: shame for not making ‘enough’ or missing an arbitrary money milestone and shame for making great money and thinking we should hide our results.
I want to change the conversation we have around money because the more we change the dialogue, the more we also change what’s going on with us from the inside out...because remember it is about the money, and it's so not about the money. You feel me?
So, you better believe as someone who wants to stand in integrity and walk my talk that I’m going to talk about money, and I’m not about to stop.
If you work with me, I’m going to gently push you to do the same. Not because you need to make more money or hit a certain tax bracket to be deemed ‘successful’ or ‘good enough’ but because ALL of us have so much potential to grow when we look at our money and our mindset around it.
Wishing you your version of success!
P.S. Ready to talk money...money mindset, money goals, making money doing what you love? In case you couldn't tell, I kinda have a thing for helping people with this money and selling stuff.
I'd love to help you build a business you're wildly in love with that also gets you paid.
Click here to learn more about working together and book a free consultation.