Your money mindset can make or break your business
Your money mindset can make – or break – your business. Do you wonder why your competitors are charging way more than you and seem to have more business? There are a lot more than just 5 money blocks keeping you from your success, but we’ll focus on 5 biggies that, when shifted, can clear the path to charging what you are worth! We’ll go through them 1 by 1 and learn how to shift them around. These are going to seem way too simple – and yes, they are simple AND POWERFUL! It’s all tied to your money mindset. Our limiting beliefs about ourselves and money determine our success as entrepreneurs. Before we get started, grab a pen, paper, red pen, some colored paper and a Dry Erase marker.
Are you charging what you’re worth? Really, just between you and your God – is that all you think you’re worth?
I was recently at a workshop on shifting your money mindset and LOVED the simple workaround the presenter offered. In my usual fashion, I took what she offered, combined it with a couple of my own little twists and used it with a client the next day. She was blown away! I’m going to share that with you here.
Our early childhood environment molds our money mindset. I was raised in a scarcity mentality, so that’s what I knew. I didn’t know there was another way. If you were too, take my hand and come with me – let me show you a way out!
1. Scarcity Mindset
Stephen Covey, in his book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” said:
“Most people are deeply scripted in what I call the Scarcity Mentality. They see life as having only so much, as though there were only one pie out there. And if someone were to get a big piece of the pie, it would mean less for everybody else.
The Scarcity Mentality is the zero-sum paradigm of life. People with a Scarcity Mentality have a very difficult time sharing recognition and credit, power or profit – even with those who help in the production. They also have a very hard time being genuinely happy for the success of other people.”
Now it’s time to get working on that turn around! Grab your paper, pen and red pen. Write “There isn’t enough __________ to go around.”
Pay attention to that last line! When your fellow entrepreneur scores a big client or project, are you secretly seething inside? If there’s one piece of pie left in the buffet line, do you go charging up to grab it before it’s gone?
Trust me, I’m asking those questions without judgment! I definitely used to come from a scarcity mentality and had no idea just how much it was affecting every area of my life!
Now take your red pen and draw a line through it. (Remember how the teachers in school would always mark our papers with red ink?)
Now for the turnaround – change it into a question. “Why is there plenty of __________ to go around? Mind you, the ___________ of course can be money, it can be love or jobs or whatever comes up. Just go with what first enters your mind.
2. Fear of Success
What?! “I’m not afraid of success – I am ready to step into it!” Really? If you back up from it just a bit and look at it, could that hidden mindset be holding you back?
It could be we are afraid that when we get really successful, others will judge us or reject us or even that we wouldn’t be able to sustain that level of success. Time to grab your paper and pens! Write “If I’m successful, others will think __________.”
Marianne Williamson, in her beautiful book “A Return to Love” writes:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Again, this is another one I’ll cop to. I played small for the longest time and just didn’t know how to break out of it. Once I broke free, just like the last line above, my presence automatically liberates others. And, it feels really really good!
Now the turnaround: “Why do others think __________ about my success?” OR
“Why does it feel so good that others support my success?”
These turnarounds are so much more powerful than affirmations! The reason is that when we say affirmations, but have a conflicting subconscious belief, it’s as if we are pushing it away. When we ask it as a question, it opens us up to possibilities!
3. Feeling Unworthy
BAM! Another big one!! How many of us really want to admit that we feel unworthy? Brene Brown says “There is no pre-requisite to being worthy. Most of us think, ‘I’m pretty worthy of love and belonging – but I’d be super worthy of love and belonging if I could lose 15 pounds.“
I recently worked with a lovely woman in her mid-50s who is “in transition” (i.e. looking for a job) and had attended a presentation I had given a couple of nights before.
In a few short minutes, I heard her feelings of unworthiness loud and clear. It was all wrapped up with her weight! She felt she was being judged by her weight.
I chuckled and asked her if she had been the one to mention that I showed no stress on my face and she answered “yes”. “Did you notice my weight” I asked? She replied “no” and I shared that I am 70 pounds heavier that I was when I was married. (now, granted she didn’t know me over 30 years ago, but it’s not like I can hide an extra 70 pounds) Ah! It’s all in the mindset!
The lightbulb went off and then, with a few simple shifts, BIG changes happened for her! I can’t wait to hear how quickly she lands her next job, Oftentimes we feel that when we’re not receiving what we want (money, a job, love, respect, etc.), it is proof that we are not worthy.
Time to turn it around! Write “I am not receiving ______, so I must not be worthy of it.” Red line through it. And the turnaround… “Why am I so worthy that I receive __________?” Remember my client I did this process with the day after I put it together? Her answer to this was respect and it was a truly transformative moment for her. Can you imagine, as she allows herself to receive respect, how that is going to transfer over to her finally charging what she’s worth?! I’m so excited to hear her results!
I remember a client who was a major C Suite executive at a local corporation who was going to be honored by a local charity for her tireless work for them and she thought she was going to throw up because “if they only knew the truth about me…”
4. Impostor Syndrome
Ever find yourself thinking “if they knew the real truth about me…”? Then you are in GREAT company! Join ranks with the late Maya Angelou, Meryl Streep and Superior Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to name a few.
Interestingly enough, it seems to manifest more in people who ARE successful! When something comes easily to us, we think it’s got to be a fluke.
I felt this for many years when I first started my hypnosis business. People would leave my office, having made major life changes and I would wonder “did I really do that?” The answer is YES! I didn’t do it on my own, but each of those clients was able to make those amazing changes specifically because I guided them.
And, back then, there was no way I would be saying those things because I was still stuck in that “Impostor Syndrome” mindset.
For now, let’s get turning this around! Grab your pens and write: “If they only knew I’m not really _________ (that smart or talented or…), I’d be ruined.” Red line through it! Now write: “Because I know the truth about ______________ , I am thriving and successful.”
Chances are, it is rooted in childhood. If you’d like to learn more about that, click here for another article I wrote specifically on Impostor Syndrome.
5. “I’ll Be Happy When” Syndrome
Boy oh boy, did I know this one – really well! “I’ll be happy when I drop 50 pounds”, “I’ll be happy when I make $100,000” and on and on. What did it get me? Not happiness, I can assure you! (Remember the lady above who didn’t notice my weight? It’s because I am not hanging my happiness on losing weight).
When we begin to focus on gratitude for what we have and where we are now, it will naturally, vibrationally bring us into alignment and happiness. I am always talking about gratitude because it is so powerful and can help turn things around quickly!
One of the reasons I see this as so destructive is because as long as we are singing this song, we are never going to be happy. As an entrepreneur, if you keep focusing on “I’ll be happy when I crack 6 figures”, you are going to keep reinforcing that you are not there now and you will continue to subconsciously sabotage yourself to stay there. We keep putting our happiness out way in front of us (out of reach), while at the same time reinforcing that we are not happy now! The turnaround: Write “I’ll be happy when ____________.” Now: “Why am I happy now? ______________”
Wrapping it All Together to Change Your Money Mindset
NOW WHAT? REMEMBER I ASKED YOU TO GET SOME COLORED PAPER AND A DRY ERASE MARKER? HERE’S WHERE THE REAL FUN KICKS IN!
For at least the next 7 days, take different colored papers and write out your new questions. Writing them down with pen and paper wires them into your brain in a different, and much more effective, way than typing it into a phone or computer. Always remember to ask it as a question – keeping you open to possibilities!
What about the dry erase marker? Write your question on your bathroom mirror. (Make sure it’s a dry erase marker so you can wash it off later!) I can’t tell you the power of seeing that every time you look in the mirror. It is SO POWERFUL!
If you’d like to get a printable worksheet with the questions and the turnarounds, click here. I know if you do this for at least the next 7 days, you will be thrilled to see how simple shifts = BIG Changes!
How many times have you been inspired by a talk, a conference, a retreat or even a blog post and then the excitement wears off? I’ll be honest with you; I don’t think that just doing this exercise one time is going to give you the Big Changes I know are possible. If you really, really want to change your money mindset, your are going to have to work at it. Just like if you want to see results from working out, you’ve got to show up at the gym!
Remember we talked about trusting yourself above? I’m asking you to commit to doing this process for at least the next 7 days – ideally the next 30! I want you to experience how freeing it will feel when you finally charge what you are worth. I’d love to hear how your money mindset changes your life and business!
Are you ready to experience freedom from the past and embrace what’s possible? Click here for a free 15 minute consultation.
Blessings,
