9 February 2016

Keep Your Money in Your Pocket

Well, hello February!! January zipped by in a hurry and for some folks that was a good thing.

We’re sticking with the money theme this month because it seems to be the focus here lately. Strategic Planning for Business and Women, Money and Mindset were two programs we rolled out in January and we’re heading into tax season. Money is in the air.

Here at PeopleCan we’re all about keeping your hard earned money in your pocket.

If I ask you to raise your hand and holler, "I love making money!" how many of you have a little voice that encourages you to resist saying and owning that statement?

Here’s a few questions to ask yourself.

Have you ever lent money to someone and then cringed at the thought of asking for YOUR money back? If you send an invoice out and you’re waiting to be paid, do you struggle with how to bring up the subject? Can you call the Credit Card company and ask for a lower rate? Or, have you ever done what I used to do when my daughter would bring home a box of chocolate bars for her volleyball fundraiser? I’d purchase (and eat) the whole box just so I didn’t have to *sell* anything.

Yes, folks, you heard it here first. I had a terrible money mindset which I came by honestly. I hear it came from my grandmother.

My father has often said, "We never had anything when we were growing up because mama gave it all away. The old man would get so mad when she had no money for groceries because she spent all of her money giving to charity."

Giving is a good thing but there’s that line that can be crossed - that place where you’re giving beyond your means.

I bring this up because one of the things a lot of us have done is give during the holidays because optics mattered more than reality. We purchased gifts we couldn’t afford and we borrowed from Peter to pay Paul.

"What got you here really won’t get you there."

If any of your focus on change centres around money, here’s the advice I’d give. Go slow, take it easy on yourself, and try to understand why you enjoy making money. There’s nothing bad about money but we may or may not believe that.