How To Start Creating a Better Relationship With Money
Today I had lunch at my new Yoga studio that just opened – it’s literally two doors down from me and I couldn’t be happier about the whole situation.
I met a lovely lady who is starting to teach Yoga full time for the first time. She was a bit concerned about her business and how to get it all off the ground.
My response was, “Please don’t feel like you missed anything. Because the truth is that you were never taught how to really grow a business, or deal with money or figure out your expenses. No one was.”
She was visibly relieved.
Then she asked, “then how do you do it? Where do you start?”
My response, “first, figure out your relationship with money.”
It’s interesting right, when it comes to the world of business, most of us think to dive into our websites, our business cards, our fliers first.
But the truth is that the only way money will enter your bank account is to ask for it. And then ask for it again, and again.
Then you need to learn how to ask for money from a webinar, from a stage, from videos, from the front of the room, from donors, from meetings…
And the list goes on and on.
You could try to learn all of this with specific techniques and theories. And that would be helpful – but it doesn’t really combat the stories underneath the surface. The fears that rear their head at the worst moments – when you least expect it.
So the first step is to ask yourself, what was money like for me growing up?
And how is that showing up in your business?
If your Mom always hoarded money and tended to shy away from asking your dad for it – are you a money hoarder now? Would you rather work for 12 hours than hire an assistant?
If your Dad always mentioned that creativity never pays. Are you constantly telling yourself that no one will buy your work?
If you noticed that your parents always fought around bill-paying time, do you notice how you avoid paying your own bills?
Stop for a moment and think about this. It can be the answer to why you’ve been avoiding the hardest pieces of your business.
Always stop and ask: Why am I resisting this? Why am I procrastinating?
The answers usually come from looking at your relationship with money.
Photo: flickr, James Bond
