Someone said that to me recently and I couldn’t agree more. Just say the word “money” out loud and see what comes up for you. Sometimes people just don’t want to think about money at all. They don’t know what they have in the bank, or how much they owe, or what’s coming in next. It’s just too stressful to think about. For others, money is a constant focus of attention in a way that fosters fear. In either situation, there might be feelings of shame about not having enough, or even having too much. There might be anxiety that whatever they have, it’s just not enough.
Few people can have a conversation about money that isn’t emotional. Money is connected to our feelings of safety and self-worth. We often use money as a proxy for these emotions. As such, all of our histories around worthiness and security show up in our money.
Imagine posting how much money you make on a huge sign in front of your house. How does it feel? Now imagine posting a sign with the amount of money want to make. How does that feel? How about a sign with the current amount of debt that you owe? What comes up then? Fear? Inadequacy? Embarrassment? Shame? Guilt?
Cleaning up our emotional life impacts our ability to earn, save and manage our money wisely. Face your financial statements and the emotional narratives that go along with them. When you release the negativity, you reduce the stress and when you reduce the stress, you increase your ability to see your options and opportunities.