Many people have a love/hate relationship with money.
It’s one of the subjects that people get very uncomfortable with and statistically is the subject that causes more arguments between couples than any other.
Women would happily tell you how many designer handbags they have (do the math!), but they would never dream of telling you how much money they have in their bank account.
And if they are the proud owner of a Hermes – well…. we all know what that means!
Money is a subject that I’ve come to love – even though in the past, it made my gut wrench.
I never expected that my work would move into the areas of Abundance and Money Mindset but when delving into it with some of my hypnosis clients, I became quite fascinated with how the mind works in relation to the subject and, most importantly, how we can change our money story and begin to experience the abundance that is our birthright.
I once took my boys to a Supercross Event here in Sydney.
As we walked through the carpark, one of my sons said to me: “Mum, do you realise that your handbag probably cost more than most of the cars in this carpark?”
I looked around. He was correct. Most cars there did look a bit beaten up, but it had never occurred to me to compare the two. To me it was just a handbag, it looked pretty, it was something to put my things in and I loved it. It was desirable to me.
Did other people notice my handbag? Did they judge me for it? Does it even matter to them, and what did they perceive of me for having it?
My girlfriend loved my handbag too. When she went to Bali, she happily messaged me and said that she’d bought one exactly the same because she loved mine so much.
When we met for coffee on her return, she proudly put her bag on the table and insisted that I did the same so that we could compare. Her face fell. I felt so sad for her.
How can a $20 fake designer handbag from a market stall in Bali really compare to the quality leather and craftsmanship that goes into the genuine item.
Did it make me a better person? No. It just made me a person who had chosen to spend her money on that particular item as opposed to spending it on something else.
My friend meanwhile, had recently installed a gorgeous new kitchen and had a holiday in Bali.
We all get to choose where and on what we spend our money and yet comparison-itis makes the whole thing begin to feel a bit icky in places.
There are only a few other subjects that can bring up as much emotion in people. Politics and Religion. Although in this age of political correctness there now seems to be a range of other subjects too. Life used to be easier.
I’m a big believer in spending money on self-development. I could have multiple Hermes handbags for the money I’ve spent on courses, coaches and mentors over the years. Some might say that I have nothing to show for it, but it’s made me who I am today, and I wouldn’t change that for anything.
Other people see no value in personal growth, or buying more books, unless perhaps, it’s the latest Shade of something that they can read on a beach somewhere. Even my best friends think I’m a bit mad because I love a good psychology book and have been known to go to bed early with a great anatomy and physiology book too!
I think it all comes down to what we value most.
Money is an expression of energy and we use it to support our life.
We earn money by using our energy through utilising the skills or talents we have acquired or developed. No matter what type of job or skill set we have, we always have to put our energy into it to get something back from it.
When money is earned, spent, saved and given consciously, it reflects what we value most and it becomes a reflection of who we are, what we stand for and where we are headed in life in terms of our goals and aspirations.
If we swap the word money for the word energy, we get a whole different perspective on life though.
Suddenly some of our limiting beliefs about money don’t seem to make sense anymore…
It’s not spiritual to have lots of energy;
Energy doesn’t grow on trees;
People with lots of energy are all (fill in the blank);
She’s only with him for his energy;
I can’t seem to keep energy, I always run out before the end of the week;
I’m not made of energy;
I don’t have enough energy to buy what I want.
The stories we tell ourselves about money can have a huge impact on our life. Particularly if we wrap our self-worth into it and make it mean, that because our bank account is not multiple six figures that we’re not bright enough, smart enough, worthy enough, good enough…
These stories and beliefs live in our subconscious mind. They only get to be uncovered when we do the self-development work that encourages it. But these subconscious beliefs govern our lives. They cause us to behave in certain ways or take certain actions that prove that what we believe about money is correct.
It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy in a sense and activates the Law of Attraction in all the ways that we don’t expect – very often repelling money because subconsciously it makes us feel really uncomfortable or even bad. Remember that belief: people with lots of money are all …. (bad, greedy, snobby, or some other rather derogatory term that you might care to choose)? If that is truly our belief then of course our subconscious mind will prevent us from ever having lots of money lest we become that terrible person too.
Self-sabotage is alive and kicking!
What could happen though, if we began to programme our subconscious mind with a different or better money story?
What would happen if we began to believe that:
When good people have lots of money, they do really good things in the world;
With lots of money I can help lots of people;
I am worth of receiving this money;
Everything I want is available to me because abundance is my birthright;
I love money because it gives me the freedom to live an amazing life;
I happily receive more money in exchange for the value that I give to others through my work, services or products.
Or, in the words of Jen Sincero, “I love money because it’s the root of so much awesome”.
The Law of Attraction works based on the thoughts we have consistently and our subconscious beliefs about life.
Imagine if you could change your relationship with money, just by changing your thoughts about money. Well I’ve done this myself, as a little experiment and the results so far have been amazing. I invite you to try it too. Make sure you keep in touch with me so that you can let me know how it works for you – I’d love to share your #wins. Make sure you follow me on IG or sign up to get my weekly blogs via my website www.karenturpin.com or on the link in the bio.