Continuing the Untangling Process – Is it Really About Money?

A little while back I wrote about the inner critic or voice inside our head. This voice also relates to the subject of money and I have become aware of many of the repetitive thoughts and beliefs I have had over the years. Some of the thoughts and beliefs for me included –

• “I can’t afford that”
• “I’m just not good with money”
• “Money doesn’t grow on trees”
• “You’ll never amount to anything” (yes I believed this and it is a process to continue to overcome)
• “It’s too risky to go into business, I couldn’t possibly do that”
• “It’s not spiritual to have a lot of money” (OMGosh – yes I did have that thought!)
• “I’ll just wait and do that later” (i.e. take full responsibility and be accountable for my money situation)
• “There are people who are worse off than me – they need the money more” (yes I really had that one as well!)

Some other thoughts/beliefs I have heard people mention around money include –

• “More is better”
• “Money can’t buy me love”
• “Money is the root of all evil”
• “Money is a limited resource”
• “I thought is was bad to be selfish”
• “You can’t be rich, happy and healthy” (i.e. have it all)
• “Money is not that important – it’s just money”
• “The rich continue to get richer and the poor get poorer”
• “Money is a limited resource”
• “Prince Charming will rescue me and then I won’t have to worry about money”

Once I started to inquire within myself and saw these thoughts and beliefs as just that – thoughts and beliefs (and not facts or reality), they started to loosen their grip on me. Some had quite strong emotions and feelings attached to them (so take care of yourself and have self-compassion if this happens). When those emotions were present I would sit mindfully with them and pay attention to my experience in that moment and not try and change it – just allow the experience to unfold.

This has taken a lot of practice and untangling over the years (as money has not been my only challenge) and I can see why chocolate, working hard/keeping busy and shopping helped me through many challenging times when things became too much (although I didn’t realise I was sabotaging and numbing myself out that way when it was happening).

In her book Lost and Found: One Woman’s Story of Losing Her Money and Finding Her Life, Geneen Roth says “The only people who don’t have insane relationships with money are those who were willing to examine their insane relationships with money.” 

Inquiry Questions –

• What are your common thoughts or beliefs around money?
• Is your money situation really about money or is it more about the thoughts/beliefs around money? (P.S. be honest with yourself!)
• Are you willing to do the work/inquiry to see through them?

Thanks for taking the time to read this post and if you have any questions, please let me know.

If you are ready to reclaim your courage and take the next step towards freedom and opening your heart, why not join our Toolkit?