4 Hard-Won Money Beliefs
"Our relationship with money defines us, limits us, or empowers us." - Lynne Twist
Money has always been a part of my spiritual journey.
After a spiritual awakening, I quit my job and was thrust into a world where I had to learn to earn money in a way aligned with who I am.
During a Meraki Session, I shared four money beliefs I've found to be true.
I thought I'd share them with you in case they're helpful.
1. It's easier to make a lot of money in a short amount of time than a little money over a long period of time.
Another way to say this, as the popular book goes, 10x is Easier Than 2x.
I heard this recently on a podcast interview with Myron Golden, and it immediately struck a chord.
In 2012, I made $39,000 a year working 40 hours a week. A few years in, I got a promotion, making $43,000/ year and working 50 hours a week.
Shortly into that position, my life changed drastically. I had a sequence of spiritual experiences that led me to quit my job.
I had no money saved, nor plans on what would unfold. It was the furthest thing from a sound financial decision one could find.
But God had my back.
Shortly after that, a friend reached out to me about an opportunity to work for a week a month and have ample time to figure out my path.
It was a job that was almost too good to be true. I got to travel the country and mystery shop at car dealerships. In a week of work, I'd make $4,000-$5,000.
In the year following quitting my job, I made more money than I did at my company, working a fraction of the time.
It blew my mind.
Creating Leverage
Another experience like this happened in 2018. Up until that point, I was teaching yoga classes for $35 and running weekly meditation workshops where people would donate $10. It was not equating to a sustainable income, to say the least.
Then I had the opportunity to train school teachers on bringing mindfulness into their classrooms. That paid $2,200 for 4 hours of work. (A lot more in preparation.)
This opened my mind to a new potential. I could see how pursuing higher-leverage opportunities, like teaching in schools, was worth 10x more than schlepping around teaching at Yoga studios for less than minimum wage. (When you account prep, travel, etc)
Again, it was easier to make a lot of money in a month than a little money in a year teaching yoga.
Our conditioning is to work harder, but really, it's about working on the right things. Once we find our highest-leverage opportunities, we free up our energy.
For a business owner, this means having time to work on the business, not just in it.
If you can embrace it, it's easier to make a lot of money in a short amount of time than a little money over a long period of time; miraculous things can unfold.
I use this as a barometer for where to put my attention.
Where can you look for 10x opportunities?
2. Our level of success is directly related to our level of personal development. - Hal Elrod
Put in other words—we receive what we can handle.
Lottery winners are a prime example of what happens when too much energy comes into a system that can't contain it. They often end up broke and worse off than before.
It took a few months for the mystery shop job I mentioned to materialize. Until then, I was driving Lyft & Uber.
During this time, I had a crazy experience where I booked a last-minute plane ticket to fly across the country to meet someone. The only problem was that the person did not want to meet me.
I flew back home defeated, down $1,000 from the misadventure—which happened to be all the money in my bank account.
I was walking on Mission Beach with my friend when he saw one of his friends. We paused for them to connect. His friend mentioned a deal Lyft is offering to drivers who get others to become drivers. My ears perked up. He said that for every new person you sign up, you get a $1,000 bonus from Lyft. I mentioned to him that I drove Lyft, but didn't see the email.
I rushed home to get on my computer, and lo and behold, he was right. I immediately called everyone I could to see if they would help by signing up and giving a few rides. A total of 6 people said yes. My body was filled with energy, I thought, OMG, I'm about to make $6,000!
Turns out, I wasn't the only person soliciting as many people as I could. Lyft was overwhelmed by the influx of new drivers and shut down the program a few hours later. After all was said and done, only 1 person signed up. He took his rides, and I got my $1,000. $1k lost, and God said even stevens. The truth is, I wasn't ready to handle $6k all at once. There was a lot more maturing to do.
The first time I cashed a $6,600 check from school assemblies, there was no elation; it felt normal. It's made me reflect on how money is associated with a feeling. Someone making $1,000 may feel the same as someone making $100,000. It's all relative.
The inner work is to release the charge around money, positive or negative. If I said you owed $10k in back taxes, that may trigger constriction. If I say you just received a substantial amount of money, that may trigger elation. I'm positing they are two sides of the same coin. Receiving & spending should feel as normal as drinking water.
Fifteen Years For an Overnight Success
The Jim Murphy story I shared about last month is another example of us receiving what we are ready for.
When Jim published his book Inner Excellence in 2019, he dreamed of becoming a New York Times best-selling author. Fifteen years after the book was published, NFL receiver AJ Brown was filmed reading Jim's book on the sideline of a playoff game. The book went on to sell 400k copies and cement itself on the NYT bestseller list—15 years after publication!
Jim shared in an interview if he had gotten that success 15 years ago, it would have gotten to his head. He had to first become the person who could handle it.
3. Pride about money can be just as harmful as Greed.
This is not technically an empowering belief, but it's worth noting.
In 2021, I went from making $55,000 to $105,000. That increase was at the key number that can significantly improve the quality of life. All of a sudden, I went from getting by to having more leeway and, in turn, more options.
It was so expansive, and to be honest, I let it get to my head. An identity started to build around how much I was making. I thought I was special, like I figured something out, and It would only continue to increase. It didn't; I plateaued around this number for 4 years, with the last year coming down.
Being humbled feels like a fall, because it's meant to help us understand—to literally stand under something so we see it from a new perspective.
By making less money last year, I can see how I started to build an identity around how much I made, and that if it were to continue, I might veer away from what is most good, true, and beautiful.
I'm grateful for this.
4. It's not my money, it's God's money.
I got this from an amazing organization called Wisdom and Money, which teaches people of means how to use their money to cultivate spiritual growth.
When I see it as God's money, I let go of hoarding. Instead, I see myself as a steward, and the question arises: how can I do God's will with this money? How can I invest it in the people and places that are most beneficial? I want my money to circulate to other practitioners, massage therapists, doula support, and community events.
Ultimately, it's not our money, because no matter how much generational wealth we create, every single person in our lineage will die without it. The money will stay with whoever created this realm and is keeping it spinning around a giant ball of fire.
That is all.
Shoot me an email and let me know what this stirred up—I love hearing from you!