How Do the “Money Parts” of Myself Act in the Wild?

Last week I talked about how issues with money fall into three categories: lack of information, outright addiction, and unconscious beliefs about money driving your behavior.

This third category is, by my observation, where most people operate.

It’s pretty much impossible to avoid having unconscious parts of yourself driving your money behavior. As a culture, we’re obsessed with money, the things it can buy, what having, or not having money means about us, about whether we’re lovable, safe, even worthy as human beings. All this pressure, coupled with the taboo against even discussing money drives the motivations for our money behavior deep underground.

Cultural programming + unconscious beliefs about money = a recipe for stuckness

As a creative, you’ve been exposed to all this cultural programming, plus all the other messages about creativity and money you heard from parents, teachers, and even friends.

Here’s how to identify parts of yourself that may be running the money show without your permission.

1. If you have a hard time accepting decent money for the work you do, you may have a part that believes you aren’t worthy, so you shouldn’t be paid much. How much you earn equals your worth as a human being.

2. If you resist spending money on anything, even essentials like car insurance or your teeth, you may have a part that believes money equals safety. Therefore, when you spend any money, you’re threatening your safety.

3. If you’ve ever condemned rich people for being greedy or soul-less, you may have a part that equates being poor with being spiritual. If being poor means you’re a spiritual person, how could you ever admit to wanting money, or strive to earn it?

4. On the other hand, if you’ve ever condemned poor people for being weak or stupid, you may have a part that equates having money with being smart and strong. If you’re trying to prove your intelligence and strength by amassing money, it will be hard to know when you’ve finally got enough.

Individualized coaching to help you understand your money beliefs

Do you have some unconscious beliefs about money that are running your life? If you’d like help making these beliefs conscious and beginning to work with them, we can talk about that.

I am also running two individual coaching programs. Create Your Day Job and Sell Your Art Peacefully. If you’d like to talk about whether either of these programs would be a fit for you, please book a chat with me.

Your work matters.