I didn’t think so either, but it turned out that I was.
Let me explain…..
If you had asked me about what my future would look like when I was in college, I would have told you that my dream was to move into a town nearby that was just a bit more affluent than where I grew up. I would have a corporate job, likely in the automotive industry since I lived in the suburbs of Detroit. I would be married with 2 kids. And I would be making about 10-20% more than my parents did when they raised me.
That was my really big dream. It included a financial ceiling I had created for myself. I just had no idea of the massive negative impact that would have on my life.
At the time, I was a young woman who was not good at saving or managing money. And if I’m honest, money kind of scared me. I definitely wanted more – to live my big dream – but I was also afraid that money was something bad and that I shouldn’t want to want it.
I also knew nothing about money….saving, investing, giving….nada. But I didn’t give that much thought because it seemed like that’s how everyone else was too.
So I dove into my new job right out of college. I was a sponge, learning everything I could and working hard….showing up every day. No task was too small. I always saw the work as a way to get better, even if that was stuffing envelopes.
That work ethic got me a better job in Michigan making more money. And after I got married, I moved to Las Vegas where I landed an even better job in the cable entertainment industry.
My goal had changed locations, but the ceiling of my earnings was still firmly in place.
It wasn’t until a few years later, after I had moved to Los Angeles, got a bigger job at a movie studio and got divorced, that I came face to face with the reality that I had set a financial ceiling on myself.
I was the one in the way of my financial success.
It wasn’t my boss, HR, the industry or any other excuse. It was my beliefs.
At the time, I was working with a spiritual teacher who was helping me figure out who I was now that I was single and on my own for the very first time in my life.
It was scary. My beliefs were that I couldn’t financially take care of myself if I wasn’t married.
Ironically, I had been the breadwinner in the marriage, bringing in 70% of our household income. And I still was concerned I wouldn’t be able to pay the bills.
Our beliefs are that powerful. They can help propel us forward, or hold us back.
As I dove deeper into my beliefs, I learned that I didn’t think I deserved a lot of money. That was for ‘other people’. What I believed was available to me, was a little bit more than what my parents provided me. That was part of the big dream.
As an aside, I had an incredible and blessed childhood. Were we wealthy? No, not in the financial sense. But we were wealthy in love, connection, and support of one another. And because of that, I always felt that I had what I needed.
But I did dream of a bigger house someday…..(but not too big….that wasn’t part of my belief system then).
Living in Los Angeles really opened my eyes to money and wealth. It was all around me, but I didn’t have it. It caused me to notice the conflict within me.
I wanted to be wealthy, but I wasn’t certain I should want that or if I even deserved it.
Do you hold that belief too?
Do you see money as something that is not for you? Or unreachable? Or impossible to have for yourself? Is it something that is just not in the cards?
If so, you are the block.
I hate to be the barer of bad news, but it is the truth. And in this case, this truth is a Gift. Please take it firmly and hold onto it.
Because the moment you decide you are deserving of money, wealth, and to be rich, you are opening the door for it to come in.
In the book, The Soul of Money, Lynne Twist talks about money being like a river. It is something that flows through you. And you get to decide how to use it and direct it.
Because you know….you can’t take it with you. So give. You will find that when you give without the expectation of receiving anything, your flow will expand.
It’s a crazy thing. It is still a delightful surprise to me.
At the end of the day, money is a Tool. That is it. Somewhere along the way, as a culture, we have attached power to it. But make no mistake….money is a tool and a tool only.
And who doesn’t deserve a hearty toolbox? 🧰
If you connect to this idea, please go buy her book. It was a very powerful read for me and her teachings in it changed my understanding about money, how it is used, and what I can do to get it.
In short, it changed my life.
The midwestern girl who was tens of thousands in debt (and not school loans), turned everything around.
I am debt free for 15 years. And I have a financial planner, I have a nice savings and I don’t worry about making money.
This is all because I believe I deserve it. And I know it literally is everywhere. Money is one of the most easiest things to get.
But it starts with your belief.
Do You deserve money? Yes you do!
Start visualizing your future self. Your home, car, surroundings. Your job, career, life. Start feeding your mind with all of the things you love, want and deserve.
And as you open the faucet, doorway, or ocean of flow into your life, start giving. Buy someone a coffee. Give $5 to a neighbor kid for mowing or shoveling your yard. Give $25 to your favorite charity or your place of worship.
Then watch and wait expectantly for what is to come.
You can Emerge Positive!
Positively,
deanne
