This is your second dose of sound advice (in the three part series) that will have you thinking, feeling and acting with more clarity when it comes to money and how you can say YES to being a financially independent woman!
Today, let’s take a look at our relationship with money as women (apologies in advance to any of my male readers, I hope you will not feel too excluded!).
Okay, so in my work I meet lots of women who desire to be financially independent. They all have their own motivations driving this desire, and their own story..
Some want to finally realise the financial freedom that has so far eluded them so they can afford to travel, others want to be able to contribute financially to sustaining their family, for others still it can be leaving a relationship that brings about the necessity to create financial independence for themselves.
Whatever the situation that gives rise to this desire, just beneath the practicalities of how to create a financial income, lies the deeper question, “Can I claim my power?”.
Before individuals can realise their dream of financial independence, this question must be addressed and answered firmly with a resounding “Yes”, or even a slightly nervous, “Yes, but I don’t know how”.
The ability to claim our power (and become a financially independent woman) is something that most of us are forced to grapple with. However, for women there can be additional cultural conditioning to overcome in order to be ready to, as a friend of mine calls it, “Put your big girl panties on!”.
I’ve even faced some of this cultural conditioning myself. I remember having an expectation that my partner would financially support me. To feel safe, I was unconsciously hoping that he would earn more than me and be more successful than me.
I see this in other women too – this old programme that as women we should be financially looked after by men. This belief can be so blocking and limiting to a woman’s ability to create financial wealth. It is time to let go of this conditioning and step forward boldly.
We also need to talk about fear. For sure there can be huge fear around claiming our power, let’s not deny this. Especially, when women have been busy raising kids and out of the workplace for a long time.
Yet, the only way forwards is to face this fear head on with gutsy confidence that if there are things you need to learn, you will be able to do learn them, and with trust that you have gifts that are valuable to share with others.
There is a way to create financial independence with love and ease. This involves taking it one step at a time.
Yes, you need to first of all get to know your money honey!…Keep track of your expenses, …identify what you need to financially stay afloat each month without sinking into debt… and plug those leaky holes where you are spending money unnecessarily.
Then look at all your potential income sources, not just what you might be able to bring in through working, but also if there are other sources available to you. For instance are there financial supports, or even income from a relative that would ease pressure?
Your third step is to hire a business coach. What you pay them is an investment and with their help you will be able to achieve your income goals much quicker than without their support. Many of the female entrepreneurs I coach have doubled or tripled their income through just three months of coaching with me.
Make realistic forecasts of your potential income over the next year and how you are going to achieve this income. Planning this out will help reduce worries about money.
Finally prioritise your activities so you focus on those activities that will help you generate the financial security you desire.
If you have your own business this means prioritising attracting new clients and speaking with these potential new clients. This is the single most important activity in creating a profitable business!
At the end of the day, mastering sales calls is where we really get to discover how beautiful and brightly coloured our big girl panties are!
Right, so to be fully armed with the knowledge you need to start making the income you deserve to make from your work, you need to watch out for the third blog in this series, “Let’s talk Money & Your Business!”.
