The Money Tree: Releasing Your Financial Fears

Today I’m tackling an issue that plagues all of us from time to time: Money.  Ever tell yourself, “I really need to find a better job that makes me happy/pays me what I deserve/has better hours?” And yet, you still aren’t applying to jobs or networking.

Or maybe you know the actions you need to take to generate more income, but you just aren’t doing it.

What’s that about?

By this point in our lives we have certain beliefs that have unknowingly shaped our relationships with money, career, and relationships. These beliefs, though unconscious, hold us back.

Changing careers has allowed me to confront my fears around money straight on. For the past two weeks, the emotional and physical stress culminated in my allowing unhealthy people in my life, a car accident, and a moment of reverting back to poor coping mechanisms. The worst of this was my putting my power outside myself, hoping that someone would save me rather than tapping into my own power.  It took a mini-meltdown for me to realize what all this stemmed from.

In an effort to help you and I get clearer on how we’re getting in our own way, I began researching financial fears: how they work, where they come from, and how to release them. 

To summarize my findings, our financial fears unconsciously control every action we make in our career, relationships, and even self-care. 

Crazy, right?

These fears block us from tapping into our creativity, taking action, and investing our energy in the right people and projects.

Grab a pen and some paper and complete this exercise.  Don’t just scan the questions and think about it for a hot sec, actually do it! This helped me to uncover my truth and release the limiting beliefs that were holding me back.

Part I. Identifying Your Fears & Patterns

1. What are your feelings about money?
2. What role does money play in your life?
3. What’s working in your life? What do you feel good about?
4. Which areas of your life produce high intensity emotions both good and bad?
5. Are there any noticeable themes in your life? For example, are you generally forgetful, late, always want to be with people, never want to be with people, etc.?
6. When things are going well what do you do? When things are going poorly what do you do?
7. When your life is going well, how do you feel? When your life isn’t going well, how do you feel?
8. Looking at the good and bad. Are there patterns? When something is going well are there patterns to how you behave?
9. When you have money how do you feel? When you don’t have money how do you feel?
10. How does money play a role in your life?

Part II. The Money Tree

In my research, I came across an EFT exercise that really helped me get clear on my issues around money.

Money may not grow on trees, but for our purposes, our fears about money do. Picture a tree such as the one in the diagram to the right.

1. The leaves represent the symptoms of the situation. They are the side effects. For example, what are the issues that not having enough money causes for you? Debt? Not being able to purchase things you want or need? List them all.
   
   
2. The branches represent the emotions you feel when you think about money. List the various feelings that come up for you.
   
   
3. The trunk represents all the events that come up around money. This can be anything from childhood memories to your first job to conversations you’ve had with your family. List these stories, paying careful attention to the ones from childhood.
   
   
4. The roots represent our fears about money. Not sure what your fears are yet? Answer this: Look at your answers from Part I and ask yourself:

“Am I good with money?”

“Is it easy to make?”

“How do I feel about success/failure?”

Not surprisingly, the roots of the money tree impact the health of the whole tree. 

Now what?

Acknowledge it and feel it.  Meditate on each root belief until you reprogram your mind to release these false beliefs.  We do this by acknowledging our past and saying “Yeah, I had some rough times, but I’m ready to let go.”  Let go of your old way of thinking so you can have healthier roots that will grow a more fruitful money tree. As with everything, the key to growth is to experience it, acknowledge it, and release it. 

The Takeaway:

Money has the ability to be a thorn in your side that bleeds you out, or something that can give you the freedom to live the way you want and help others to do the same.  Creating the space for new beliefs around money will guide you to step into your full potential. As Dani Johnson says, "your income is directly proportional to your personal development." So what are you waiting for?