#21 The Clarity Sessions Podcast -- Money Mindset

Money mindset is a topic that is not spoken about frequently in my world of faith-based online entrepreneurs. Christians who have a message to share in their businesses don't love talking about this topic.

As I wrote my book, Start With Your People, I realized that money is one of those taboo topics that is so important for us to process. We need to have the right money mindset because money affects our most important relationships. Money is a topic that exposes our deepest fears and our greatest vulnerabilities. Nothing will shut a conversation down and push people into their defensive corners more quickly than talking about money, but it's important that we address our money mindset. It's affecting our most important relationships. If you think about it, there are actually four relationships that money affects.

1. Marriage

When we enter into a marriage, we both come from different families of origin with different expectations about housing, food, entertainment, vacations. It all can cause tension in your marriage. It's no wonder financial challenges are often cited as the number one reason for divorce.

2. Kids

I wish I could go back in time and let my 25-year-old self know just how important money was going to be when we started having kids. From the first moment when you are trying to find out if you're pregnant, money is involved. You have to get a pregnancy test, so you go to the pharmacy to check out your options. There is usually a basic option that gives you a plus or minus sign. Then there's a fancier one that says "pregnant" and "not pregnant." And then there's an even fancier one that basically has lights, alarm bells, and a siren if you're pregnant.

The point is, there are three levels of pregnancy tests and, at that moment, you realize money is what's affecting this decision. When my wife and I were trying to figure out if she was pregnant, I had one of those illogical moments where money wasn't necessarily an issue because I really wanted to know if we were having our baby. It was all really exciting! And then there's the ultrasound that's required as part of the healthy baby check-up. But then there's the option of the 3-D ultrasound that's more than a hundred dollar investment because it's not covered under insurance. You have to decide if you want to spend the money on that. See...money affects your kids from the beginning. There's the crib, baby clothes, healthcare, childcare, afterschool sports clubs, hobbies, church retreats, vacations, and all of that adds up.

3. Friendships

There's a book called The Slight Edge. The book talks about this trajectory of your life where you see those who start to get even more successful around the 40-year mark and those who never really make it beyond their starting point. You can start to see that people you went to elementary school, high school, and even college with are still working the same job that they were right out of college and their income and responsibility haven't increased. As a result, their lifestyle hasn't changed. It affects opportunities to hang out because they either can't get the time off or afford going out like they want. You see them struggle, and it affects friendships.

4. Family

A more recent phenomenon is people paying for their kid's college expenses while also paying for their elderly parents' senior living expenses. They're caught right in the middle, and money affects both of those decisions. They've got to pay for mom in the longterm care facility and also pay for the daughter who's going to college and didn't get the full scholarship they were hoping for. There sometimes has to be a choice: "Where are we gonna put our money?"

So you see, money affects all those relationships, and to fix your financials, you have to face your financials.

I want to lead with some authenticity here. This is a struggle for me. Money mindset challenges have been something that's popped up many times in my life. In 2019, I decided that was the year of getting right with money.

I've thought through...what are my values? When I look at money, I'm not going to be afraid of it anymore. And how do I approach it in a way that is grounded, authentic, and not based on fear? So I've had a number of breakthroughs in my life when it comes to money. And as I've continued coaching my clients through clarity, I've started to see that the number one reason they're not launching their courses or starting their membership site is because they're getting stuck with money. So I decided to launch a six-week coaching program called The Money Mindset Mentoring Program.

Message me over on Instagram to get the link to this program or ask any questions that you have.

It's a six-week program where we walk through what are the myths about money and what are the truths. Then I walk you through how to create offers and increase your income. I walk you step-by-step through the process in a small group over the course of six weeks. It's a really reasonable investment for this level of engagement, because I'm so passionate about helping you with this.

I just want to say I'm standing with you. If money mindset is an issue that is affecting your most important relationships. what if you didn't bring that issue with you into this year? What if you started out this year with a money mindset focused on serving other people and crushing it financially -- making an impact and an income?

Because remember, your message matters. So let's get your money mindset right. Message me here.

Click here for the full episode.