Let’s Talk About Money!
I talk a lot about money. I feel no shame in sharing my successes, but neither do I feel embarrassed to share my failures. Yet in the UK, talking about money is frowned upon. It is seen as vulgar and boastful. I have been out with groups of female friends who would much rather discuss their sex lives than their bank balances!
SEE MONEY AS A POSITIVE THING
So where does this hang up stem from? Why do we shy away from celebrating our financial successes when we don’t seem to shy away from sharing non-monetary ones?
In my experience, money mindset is at the root of all of these ingrained prejudices. As a child, I grew up with very little. I lived frugally in a small council house, yet rather than my family and friends on our estate aspiring to do better, to create a lifestyle that would provide more choices and opportunities, money was frowned upon. I can clearly remember as a child, when a shiny sports car was driven down our road, it was met with choruses of “Look at him, flash so and so, coming round here showing off all the time.”
And so my money mindset was sculpted by these experiences. Money was bad. Having nice things made you a show off. Those things aren’t for you. Be happy with what you’ve got. If you do have any left, save it for a rainy day (NB – it rains on approximately 165 days of the year in the UK so you’re never going to get rich if you’re saving for one of them!).
“Money mindset is at the root of all of these ingrained prejudices.”
Money mindset doesn’t just apply to those who didn’t have much growing up, but there will usually be a trigger somewhere that frames the way we think about money, which thereby creates the effect it has on us.
I had a client who had grown up with rich parents, so she’d never had any money worries, and therefore I assumed she had no issues with her money mindset. Despite having all the strategy in place, her business wasn’t working, so I wanted to delve deeper into her money mindset. It transpired that she had never really seen her parents as a kid, as they were so busy with their businesses.
This client had a two-year-old boy whom she adored, and her subconscious was telling her that making money would mean she would have to sacrifice time with her son, and that she couldn’t have a business and be a good parent.
So, we worked on this deep-rooted subconscious belief and, sure enough, a few weeks later, she started making money – her business is now a great success. This is why unearthing and addressing your money mindset issues is a crucial component in not only being successful but, more importantly, being comfortable with that success.
Earlier on I mentioned how I share my financial details with my clients and my followers. I even post photos of my bank account, but not with any kind of bragging agenda in mind. I have taught thousands of women to make use of the knowledge that they already possess to create profitable businesses for themselves and I want them to realise that this is possible for anyone – because I am living proof of that.
“Unearthing and addressing your money mindset issues is a crucial component in not only being successful but, more importantly, being comfortable with that success.”
I regularly remind them that I am nothing special, certainly no magic fairy! I simply created and followed a number of clear, easy to implement steps to create a business that is not restricted by the number of hours in the day.
That is why I share everything – the ups and the downs. People will always buy from people they know, like and trust, and by being transparent and honest, your clients and potential clients will come to see you as a real person, not just a collection of well-curated photos and carefully compiled branding copy.
Take time to understand and address your money mindset and try to see money as a positive thing. We need to realise that success is not like pizza, there is plenty to go round! It should not be a cause of guilt or shame. Also remember that helping people and earning money are not mutually exclusive: you can do both!
I will always be proud of what I have achieved, and what my clients have achieved, and no amount of subconscious mind gremlins will stop me from sharing that.
Lisa’s Top Tips
Don’t listen to the voices
These little sub-conscious voices are there all the time and they’re created from all of the things we see and hear when we’re growing up, or even as adults. The thing is, we don’t realise they’re influencing our thoughts, but they are. So we really need to deal with them because they can, and usually will, have a huge effect on how much money we make.
Work to find the route of your own money mindset issue
Mine was simple – Rich people are BAD people. The problem is that if that thought stays in there as you grow up, then it doesn’t matter how much money you try to make. Deep down there will always be a little voice, constantly reinforcing that “You don’t want to make that money!” If you need to work with someone on this then do it, because if can get your head around that, you’ve already taken the first steps.
Start seeing money as a positive thing
We can’t just say it, we need to really believe it because what we concentrate on grows and there’s no way you’re going to make more of something that you see as bad!
Ignore phrases like
“Money doesn’t grow on trees” and “Saving for a rainy day.” These and others like them have ruined our relationship with money. You can enjoy what you earn while you earn it, you just need to work smarter not harder.
Lose the guilt
You need to realise that there is enough money out there, so we don’t need to attach emotions to any of it. Not guilt, not shame, not greed. And for those of you that want to help people, please remember this: Helping people and earning money are not mutually exclusive. You can do both
Regular Columnist: Article published in Brand You Magazine – Edition 23
Lisa Johnson, founder of Lisa Johnson Strategist
Lisa is an inspirational leader, business strategist and Sunday Times best-selling author who helps ambitious people create passive and semi-passive income streams. She has over 50,000 followers on social media.
Instagram: lisajohnsonstrategist
Website: lisajohnson.com
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