There is no denying that abject poverty affects mindset and so much more! It affects your life, your relationships, and your business… and why wouldn’t it?
When necessities of life are not met, expectations for a BIG life seem unimportant. When longing for safety and security, you aren’t dreaming of Disneyland – it’s too far a stretch.
You learn to expect what is realistic, not to dream too big.
Social Proof
In the absence of any social proof, we limit who we are, what we say, and what we can become. We limit our dreams, goals and aspirations. We create rules to live by even in the absence of social proof.
So much so that when I was eighteen and living one my own, to feel safe I had to have a $50 bill tucked neatly and safely in my wallet. By today’s standards that meant I had to have $100. #datingmyself!
Without the knowledge that the money was there and easily accessible, I would have panic attacks. I worried about needing food or transportation home, and having the money at my disposal meant I was safe. It was my fail safe plan.
Seven Years…
Here is where it gets interesting. For seven years I carried THE SAME $50 bill around, moving it from wallet to wallet as I upgraded. There were times I needed that $50, but I always said no… I would not touch it. I would rather sacrifice just in case something bad happened.
I feared if I conceded to a perceived real need, I wouldn’t be able to replace it. So I said no every time. There were many times I would go without, and give no thought to the $50 tucked safely and neatly away in case of emergency. In fact, I often forgot about it. #Habits!
I remember one particular cold and rainy night that I could have used the money to get home, and instead I walked for two miles in the pouring rain, shivering and frustrated because the buses had shut down due to the torrential downpour. With each step, my runners filled with water and yet I told myself this wasn’t the time to use the money. #Scarcity
And then it changed…
I held onto to that $50 bill until my 25th birthday, and that beautiful sunny day something shifted. I was a single mother back then, and it was a struggle to make ends meet. In fact, the month was always longer than the money we had, and I wanted to celebrate with my children.
That day I took them for ice-cream, and I used the $50 to pay. It was a big moment, yet as the clerk handed back the change nothing catastrophic happened.
That was the day I realized that the money I had held so dear and as protection, was a mere means to an end. It wasn’t until that moment that I realized money was only a tool. That its real value was in the positive results it can provide.
Money is energy, and we decide whether it is negative or positive.
I am not sure why I shifted that day, but that was the last day I ever HAD to carry around $50 with me to feel safe.
The Frock of Self Worth
Up until that very moment, I did not believe I was worthy of utilizing the money. I felt I had to justify it. I had inadvertently tied my worth to money. Worse, my mindset was that if I used the money I wouldn’t be safe, and therefore at all costs I had to hold onto it. Which really just equates to scarcity.
Frocks are sneaky. They sneak up on you disguised in all manner of things, and they often take some unraveling and untangling before we can unleash them. Even though it would take me seven years to figure this out, I did on that day. I am 55 now, and have no need to carry the $50 I once carried.
So take the leap in your life, relationships, and business and SAY YES, even in the absence of proof! Trust in you, your talents and your dreams!
Besides you never know what may come your way!
Be ready!
YES…because it’s w...
