Your Money Story is The Problem

Sep 23, 2021 | Being

Blank book
How we think and feel about our money is directly connected to experiences we’ve had or beliefs that have been passed down to us from our family, community, and/or culture.

This combination of things creates our money story – the perception of money that we live by.

Perceptions are not always Truths, even if we treat them as reality.

Think about the times we have looked in the mirror and have judged our own reflection.

The mirror is neutral. It has no feelings or thoughts. It has no control over how we receive or respond to what we see.

It’s supposed to reflect back exactly what is right in front of it.

Yet we see ourselves one way – old, young, cute, ugly, polished, wanting – and someone else may see an entirely different thing.

Money is no different. Money is a lens. And that lens can be distorted by our own thoughts and feelings even if the lens is a neutral party.

Meaning that our distorted beliefs about money will always make money look distorted.

If our stories tell us what we are and aren’t capable of earning; or how we are and aren’t supposed to make money; or whether we can or can’t want something that is expensive; and we believe all these stories, we won’t take the actions we need to produce the results we want.

Our stories become dangerous when we don’t challenge them.

We absolutely must fix our stories.

Here’s the 3-2-1 on the money story being the problem.

3 TRUTHS

  1. Money stories are not Truth. They were created by emotional experiences in our past. Since we created them, we also have the power to change them.
  2. Our money stories tell us what we are and aren’t capable of and they become dangerous when we don’t challenge or question them.
  3. Cultural systems and societal beliefs have imposed money stories on us collectively, which is why wage gaps continue to exist between gender groups and race groups. Being aware of the societal story gives us power to rewrite it in our individual narratives.

2 ACTIONS

  1. Create a pie chart on a piece of paper and label each slice: business, relationships, earning potential, family, personal life.
  2. Throughout the week, notice the money stories that come up and write them in the respective piece of the pie.

1 QUESTION

  1. What is one story I have about money I need to rewrite?

This money conversation continues on YouTube. Check out Why Money Stories Don’t Help Us and make sure to subscribe while you’re there.

To your impact and legacy,