Money and power are two of the biggest causes of conflict and drama in our lives. Lots of people right now are in survival mode, but when you are no longer worried about just survival, you tend to think about money within the context of status, ego, personal fulfillment, and power.
Power isn’t bad necessarily, but if you are worried about using your personal power, then you might have trouble acquiring (and hanging on to) money. Or maybe you have no issues with your personal power, but then your drive to acquire wealth might be eclipsing other areas of your life, or you might forget the WHY behind wealth accumulation.
But people who are well-balanced in their power tend to be successful, affluent people. They are generally confident, self-assured, and well-balanced in all areas of life including work, family, hobbies, relationships, money, and so on.
Where is your upper limit?
Since power is all about self-identity, independence, and confidence, money problems arise when you delegate power.
I frequently see this when people pay huge sums of money to a coach or even a financial planner to “borrow” that other person’s power. They are delegating decision-making to a third party to make them feel protected or safe.
Sometimes, however, you see money issues and power come into play when people reach what author Gay Hendricks calls their “upper limit problem.”
We’ve all seen it play out with celebrities a hundred times: someone is highly successful in one area of their life, making a lot of money, and then they sabotage themselves in some other area of their lives. Hendricks says this is because they’ve hit their psychological “upper limit” and are afraid to break through it, so they subconsciously do things that will knock them back down.
I’ve definitely struggled with this personally, and I frequently see it with some of my clients. A client will be making great money that could easily help her reach all her goals—except that she blows it all on purchases that don’t mean anything to her and that she later regrets.
That upper limit problem tends to happen because people don’t trust themselves to go further, or they are afraid of their own power.
Changing your money mindset
If you’ve been hanging out on this blog for any length of time, you know I believe in the power of manifestation — as long as it’s backed up with actions!
What that means is, that when your energy gets clear, you should be able to imagine and create what you want more clearly and easily. But, in order for that “magic” power to take hold, you do need to take some positive actions towards clearing that energy and finding the right mindset.
Ask yourself:
- Are you showing up in powerful ways in your own life? If not, what is limiting your power?
- Do you have any limiting self-beliefs? (And if so, are they really true or just stories you’re used to telling yourself?) This might include the idea that you can’t make a lot of money because you don’t have the right expertise/parents/circumstances/education etc.
- Are you afraid of making decisions around money? Are you avoiding decisions because of it?
- Are you delegating your power to anyone else? Maybe a spouse, business partner, coach, or other professional? Are you using them so that you don’t have to make decisions?
Are your fears real?
There can be a lot of fear associated with power, but it’s important to ask if you are afraid of something real or just stories that you are telling yourself. Dig deep into these questions if you suspect you may have an energetic block around money and power, and then once you have the answers, make a plan to move forward.
It may seem a little counterintuitive — since I am a financial planner, after all! — but if you regularly delegate your money decisions to someone else, your first step to clearing this energy is to start making your own decisions. Let others help you gather information if you like, but be sure the final decision rests with you.
Write down the fears you may have identified and come up with ways to start to “desensitize” yourself to them. If, for example, you’re afraid of making financial decisions, challenge yourself to make some for yourself. Start with decisions that have small consequences and move up from there. Build your confidence slowly but steadily by increasing the size of your decisions.
You might also have a chat about your intentions with the person to whom you’ve been delegating the power; if they truly have your best interests at heart, they will be happy to help you take on more responsibility.
If this sort of money/energy talk intrigues you, I highly encourage you to download my free Money Chakra ebook and learn more about how you can support both sides of your money — both the pragmatic side and the energetic side.
