Thursday, December 19, 2013

Sustainable Finance


Lately I've been thinking about my personal and business finances, how I'm often living paycheck-to-paycheck, and every time I start to get ahead, a health problem or some other issue will arise and wipe out my meager savings. 

I'm a smart worker, dedicated to my clients and employer, with strong moral values, and amazing initiative (I'm told, see my recommendations on LinkedIn). So why can't I attain a financially comfortable life? Why am I perpetually running just inches ahead of the huge boulder, Indiana Jones-style?

 (image source: Lucasfilm/Paramount Pictures, 1981)

I may have found the answer, in this fascinating Forbes.com article about our inner wealth set-point by Kathy Caprino. What she says makes sense, that our inner financial set-point is programmed by the people we were raised by and influenced by earlier in life, and if they had or have a negative relationship with money, then we will, too. I can recall my parents having terrible fights about money in my childhood, and how my father suffered when he was unemployed. My parent were also very secretive about money, and to this day, even though I am one of the executors of their wills, I have no idea what my parents' finances are like. My negative childhood experiences with money have been holding me back in adulthood. Kathy goes on to explain, via her interviewee Margaret Lynch, that a tapping activity called EFT can help release these negative beliefs and create a fresh foundation for a positive attitude.
 
While I'm familiar with the concept of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), I've never worked with it, so this will be a new challenge for me. (If it's new to you as well, check out the video below.) I'll start as I always do, by researching, then trying it out, then making corrections and re-assessing, multiple times if need be. 

Even before I get into that part of the process, however, I can begin by letting go of clients who are not good clients, who don't pay on time, who don't do their homework between meetings, or who repeatedly cancel or reschedule appointments. I want clients who value my time and theirs, who are excited about the work I'm doing with them and what I'm teaching them, and who view my fees as an expression of my valuable offering, rather than desiring to work with me because I'm "on sale".

What does this have to do with sustainability? you ask. Well, if I'm not able to feed, house and clothe myself, provide adequate health and dental care, and have time available to improve myself personally, how can I serve my clients? If my personal financial status is not sustainable, how can my business be?

I'd love to hear your reactions to this post in the comments, if you're willing to share. I'm putting myself out there by revealing this information, with the intent to improve myself and my business, and I'm not waiting for the new year, I'm starting TODAY. What is your inner wealth set-point? What is holding you back from achieving your goals? Let's enter a more financially sustainable new year, together.


(video source: YouTube)