Have you noticed, in gyms, when guys are lifting really heavy weights, they ask someone, often a perfect stranger, to spot them? How many times have you seen a woman tap someone to help them? Hardly ever!
Why? Because we seldom lift very heavy weights; we don’t want to bother anyone; and we’re determined to do it alone.
But financial success requires you to lift heavier weights in order to build up your confidence, strengthen your resolve and climb to greater heights.
Studies have proven that a strong purpose is the secret to longevity. And in my experience, it’s the key to higher earnings.
What if you don’t know your purpose? Here are four places to look to help you find—or refine—your purpose:
1. In Past Pain
I’m not sure our life purpose has to come from pain, but it’s a good place to start looking. What has been your most painful challenge in life?
2. In World Problems
Ask yourself: What is the one problem in the world that you yearn to see solved, and would you be willing to spend the next 10 years of your life working on, talking about, and being part of the solution for?
3. In Childhood Play
As we look back at the tapestry of our lives, it’s easy to spot certain threads that show up in our youth and continually repeat, displaying an unwavering pattern holding clues to our purpose. What did you love to play as a kid?
4. In Secret Wishes
Once, someone asked me whose job would I love to have?” That was easy. Neil Diamond’s. Why? “I wanted to write my songs and sing them.” OK, so I can’t carry a tune. But I’ve managed to write my songs (books) and sing (teach) them. If you could have anyone’s job, which would it be?
It’s also quite possible for your purpose to shift throughout your life. Have you found your purpose? Tell me about it in a comment below.
Transitions are a bitch. And so many in my community are in the midst of one right now. As I listen to their frustration and confusion, I’m reminded of a cartoon:
A frog is leaping from one lily pad to another with a look of sheer terror as he realizes he’s about to miss his target. The caption read: ‘Just when you think you’ve made ends meet, someone moves an end.
That’s exactly how it feels to be in transition—whether it’s a conscious choice (like taking a sabbatical) or an unwelcomed disruption (like being laid off). You’re poised mid-air between the old and the new, wondering “what do I do now?’
I remember my first big transition, back in the 80’s, when I moved from the Midwest to San Francisco…a dream come true. But as soon as I settled in, I felt untethered, disoriented, anxious. This wasn’t what I expected.
Thankfully, I discovered the book Transitions: Making sense of Life’s Changes by Bill Bridges. It was a godsend!
Writing my second book, Secrets of Six Figure Women, changed my life. I, a chronic underearner actually became a high earner. Even better, I finally understood how to own my power, as a woman.
I want that for you too. My deepest desire is to help as many women as possible step firmly into their power. It’s time. The world needs us. To that end, I share the 5 Truths of Feminine Power.
Truth #1. I Know What I Want
Our power comes from the choices we make, choices that reflect who we are, not what someone else wants. Start by asking yourself: What do I really want? Then go deeper: If I had 6 months to live, what would I do, who would I be with, where would I live? And know that if this list doesn’t come close to where you are now and you’re unhappy, it’s a sign you’ve given your power away.
Here is my prayer for the new year: May you, along with all women, realize that you have the capacity to create wealth and the confidence to actually do it.
I suspect, however, for some of you, the mere mention of the “W” word feels wrong, bad, like ‘how can I be rich when so many are poor?’ But consider the words of Abraham Lincoln: “If you want to help a poor person, do not be one.”
Let me be clear. Wealth is not an amount. It’s a mindset. You’re wealthy when you have more than enough, and you know it.
Besides, creating wealth is about far more than amassing riches. It’s about who you have to become to attract, sustain and grow your money.
Ultimately, creating wealth requires you to wake up to the power you have, the enormous power, to not only create wealth but to use it to help others, to make a difference.
Once upon a time, a very wise King decided to put a massive boulder in the middle of the road.
Everyone who walked by simply went around it. No one attempted to move it.
One day a poor peasant, carrying a load of vegetables, was walking down the road when he came upon the boulder. He put down his load, walked over to the giant rock and tried to push it aside.
It wouldn’t budge. He strained and struggled until finally it moved a bit. He kept at it until, slowly, he was able to shove it out of the way.
A brand-new study—about women and investing—triggered a decades old memory
I’d just sold my first book—Prince Charming Isn’t Coming— to a publisher and flew to NY to meet my editor. As we chatted, I casually asked if she invested. An awkward silence ensued.
Clearly embarrassed, she muttered, “Oh no, I have no money for that.” I quickly changed the subject.
She was smart, successful, making good money…yet was at her wits end.
“There are periods when I manage to save a lot,” she told me. “But then I start overspending and ignoring my money. It’s like I can’t help it.”
Even after years of taking financial workshops, reading money books, doing personal growth work, she felt stuck in a frustrating pattern that was taking a toll on her health and her happiness.
“It feels like a vicious cycle I can’t get off,” she moaned.
She couldn’t stop because she didn’t have a money problem. She had a Money Disorder. There’s a big difference.
A Money Disorder is a chronic, self-destructive pattern caused by unconscious beliefs that cause dysfunctional behaviors associated with money.
Money Disorders, left untreated, can ruin your quality of life, wreck your relationships, destroy your peace of mind, leaving you feeling hopeless and helpless.
The Question is: How do you know if your difficulties with money are actually a more serious disorder?
According to an online article titled: 15 Fascinating Signs You May Have a Money Disorder, these are the classic symptoms:
If you have even one of these signs, the culprit is not financial, but as the article explains, it’s an “emotional and spiritual imbalance” which requires deeper, emotional healing with a skillful therapist.
I recommend working with someone who specializes in trauma therapy or joining a support group like my online community, The Wealth Connection.
To read the full article, click HERE.
How would you rate your relationship with money— a problem or a money disorder? Tell me what you think in the comments below.
Dear Entrepreneur,
If success eludes you and profits are paltry, a new study sheds important light on your situation. Being a business owner myself, I found it quite illuminating.
All 357 female entrepreneurs surveyed knew what they needed to do to grow their business. Yet they “expressed doubt” about taking those steps due to their limiting beliefs.
“Female entrepreneurs limit their business success because they hold beliefs that lead to small actions instead of big ones,” the study reported. Or they may avoid taking any action altogether.
Bottom line: The more limiting your beliefs, the lower your earnings.
The study was brought to my attention by Catherine Bown, a member of my online community, The Wealth Connection, sales trainer and one of the six researchers of the study.
My passion is helping women become wealthy. I notice, however, I rarely, if ever, use the word ‘rich.’
I remember when, decades ago, David Bach sent me a copy of Smart Women Finish Rich. My first book had just been published, one of the earliest finance books geared to women, and he wanted to talk.
I loved what he wrote, but the word, ‘rich’ turned me off. I couldn’t understand why.
Then, last week, I received a newsletter from Nick Maggiulli, titled: Rich vs Wealthy: A Comprehensive Guide to Different Financial Lifestyles.
Finally, I realized why ‘rich’ never resonated.
