Truth: Money is a trigger. It is one of the biggest triggers in the world but for some reason we are not supposed to openly talk about money in our relationships? What is that and why is that? Who made those rules? In MoneyMaestra’s upcoming series, Women, Money, and Relationships, that begins this Saturday, July 25th on Zoom- we are going to talk about money. We are also going to talk about relationships and how money affects every relationship in our lives whether or not we choose to acknowledge it. The most important relationship with money is your own relationship with money. How you interact with money and how it triggers you spills over into your other relationships. So let’s talk about money- openly, honestly, and with awareness and mindfulness. Money is not a taboo- let’s stop treating it like one.

Money equates to power in a myriad of ways but many people and in particular many women do not know how to harness the power of money. COVID-19 has added to the money fear trigger, as the world has been turned upside down and many people’s income streams have decreased significantly. Yet, that is our current situation and I believe learning to look money in the face and dealing with the situation at hand is key. Burying your head in the sand, never solves the problem. I believe you can even grow and shift your relationship with money in this time of COVID. Take this time and this place in history and herstory, to address your relationship with money.

Rewrite Your Money Story

If I believed the money story that was presented to me as a child, I would not be where I am today. I somehow knew deep inside that I was not my circumstances and I could shift the money patterns I witnessed as a child and teenager. From a young age, I saw money as part of my ticket to freedom and not being trapped. I made it my mission to earn money, save money, invest money, and learn about money, so I controlled my money instead of it, or the lack of it, controlling me.

Although I became actively engaged with money at an early age- it still has affected every relationship in which I have been involved or am currently involved. There is not a relationship that exists that isn’t somehow touched by money. Money is currency and it runs through every relationship in some form or another. Yet because I have a healthy relationship with money, I am able to apply that to how I address money situations in my other relationships. Now, have I had bumps along the road? Yes, even some major bumps, but I survived those bumps and ultimately used them as teaching tools. Money is a neutral- we put the positive or negative charge behind it.

I think most people want to talk about money but they just don’t know how. Maybe because you were told, “It’s not polite to talk about money,” or “Grin and bury it,” (courtesy of my friend Suzanne Jewell), or “Money is the root of all evil,” or something else along those lines. Maybe you told yourself a money story such as, “I am not good with numbers,’ or “I’ll always be broke” or “I’ll just work until I die.” We can change and transform our money story. We need to talk about money and get our fears out in the open-where their hold can be loosened and ultimately let go.

There is no shame

Many people have shame around money but there is no shame in addressing your money situation. The Wikipedia definition of shame is, “is an unpleasant self-conscious emotion typically associated with a negative evaluation of the self; withdrawal motivations; and feelings of distress, exposure, mistrust, powerlessness, and worthlessness.” Shame just helps to deepen the fear and worry around money. I believe we need to evaluate our current relationship with money, expose our feelings about money to ourselves-don’t bury them, and then work to educate and empower ourselves on money matters. Learn that you can have power over your money, instead of feeling as though it has power over you.

Now, it takes work and effort on your part to address how money is affecting your relationship with yourself and with others but it is work and time well spent. When you begin to break free from the stress and fear of money, you will see that is it replaced with freedom and dare I say- Joy! So ladies, lean into The Joy of Money with me and other brave, bold, courageous women as we talk about money and relationships.

Special Limited Time Discount Offer

I invite you to use promotion code Women25 for 25% off the price of the Women, Money, and Relationships series through midnight Friday, July 24th. The EventBrite registration link is below:

https://bit.ly/MoneyMaestraWomen

Sincerely and with gratitude,

Susan, The MoneyMaestra