As a business owner of a multi-million dollar agency, I made plenty of mistakes. Nineteen years in business allows for that. The mistakes I clearly saw were the decisions that perhaps did not turn out exactly as I wanted. What I couldn’t see at the time were the limitations that were within me, keeping my company from being the complete success I desired it to be.
Let’s take a quick moment here and talk manifesting. What do I mean by manifesting? To create, both intentionally and unintentionally. We believe that we create what we desire and work diligently towards those goals. However, I believe that we create it all, the good and well, let’s be honest here, the “what the f**k” moments, too. So, your question might be…how do I avoid the latter, especially when it comes to money?
Here are five things that I have seen hinder money manifestations. They hinder the rapid growth we desire for our businesses and incredible profit that will allow us further growth and opportunities. What we believe we create. It’s like a mantra. The more I state something, the more likely that is to become a reality. So let’s pick this apart a little.
1. Think small and play small
Have you ever heard the Jim Carrey story? It’s the one where he writes himself a check, while living in a van, for 10 million dollars. Then, only a couple of years later, he made a movie that paid him $10 million dollars. I love the gumption, the big thinking. What if you were to write yourself a check, how much would you write it for?
How we see our own value ripples through the universe like a calling card. It shows the world what you believe you are worthy of, and like a dutiful and loving best friend, it provides. Here are a couple of questions for you to get the juices flowing.
Have you ever said “That’s too much, I’m not sure my consumer would pay that price?” “We can’t afford to take that risk?” Or “I have no idea how I am going to be able to…fill in the blank?”
These questions are a reflection of how you value yourself and how others should value you. If you don’t believe your client will pay for your goods and you constantly need to discount, you will draw those discount-seekers to yourself. Make sense? We must stop basing our value on how other people value themselves. If your client won’t invest in you, they are simply the wrong client. Play big, write the 10 million dollar check and see how things begin to open for you!
2. Control / Trust issues
Oh, our dear friend, control. So reliable and constant.
When I first purchased my company I was the one and only employee. I knew everything. I ran the books, the service department, the sales department and cleaned the toilets.
Can you relate? I knew everything that was happening in my business and knew how to do it all. Then I started hiring employees. That was a hot mess in the beginning. You know who I hired? Family. And why did I do this? Because I thought I could trust them and knew that I had a better chance of controlling what was happening in the business. Well that didn’t last long and as I continued to grow the business I had to begin letting go. I had to release control.
Now this did not come easy, not even in the first 10 years. It came when I got so sick I could no longer sign all the checks, or travel to all the shows. It was forced upon me. It forced me to find those I could trust and when I did, the company soared.
I let go of control.
Trust runs deep my friend. If you can’t trust those who work for you, how can you trust the universe to continue to provide?
3. You surround yourself with people who empower you to stay where you are instead of empowering you to move forward and be more.
You know the old adage, you are the sum of the five people you surround yourself with? This is true in business as well.
Ok, let’s look at it this way.
Are your friends supportive of your endeavors? Do they promote you, love you and enjoy seeing your success? Or do they get excited only to disappear for a time? Are they growing, pursuing greatness and surrounding themselves with empowering people? How about your staff? If you want growth, you want those around you growing as well.
If they are not, then you may step into your greatness for a moment but will hold yourself back from your full potential, waiting for them to come along with you. This is exhausting and frustrating as hell. It may mean making new connections, or finding the entrepreneurs that are achieving what you would like for yourself.
Who is doing it really well? Make a connection and ask them how they did it. Learn, invest and know that when you surround yourself with greatness you have only one choice, and that’s to be great yourself.
4. Your inability to get really, really clear in your vision
Tell me what you want, what you really, really want. Yes, let that song play in your head for a bit.
What do you want? How specific can you get?
I once worked with a woman who desired to open her own studio. She had all the plans but felt as though something was getting in her way. So we sat down and I walked her through visualizing it.
We got super detailed.
What did it feel like walking in the front door, what did it look like, feel like? How many studios were full? And as we did this we were able to find gaps, holes if you will.
She couldn’t see parts of it clearly, but this provided an opportunity to find the limiting belief that was getting in her way. Once it was uncovered and released, she opened that studio and has been successful ever since.
If you can’t see it, you can’t create it. If there is a yet, but, or only if, in your vision it can’t happen. So sit down, write it out and dream about how amazing it will feel when it happens!
5. A misunderstanding of success and the surrender of your power for money.
Money, money, money.
If only the world didn’t run on money.
It’s such a finite resource…um what! Oh, hell no.
If that is anywhere in your thought process, get it out! Money is an energy and there is plenty of that in the world. So let’s ask this.
Why are you doing what you are doing?
What was the passion behind the start?
I would assume you wanted to do something amazing in this world. To create freedom for yourself and your family and to be exactly who you want to be. Well if that is what you desire then let’s shift the perspective of success from an income standpoint to a cultivating of the desires you had.
Let me state this another way. I never looked at the numbers in my business. Crazy, perhaps, but I had the best around me and I knew they supported the vision. So I cultivated relationships.
I did what I loved to do and that was to provide people with the best marketing resources for their events and, guess what? We were successful. I never focused on the money. That had no power over my decisions and how I best worked with the clients who entrusted us with their image.
When I took the focus off of money, everything else just fell into place.
What Now?
Did any of these intrigue you? It can be hard to see where your limiting beliefs are holding you back until someone else points them out. But even if only one of these five mistakes resonated with you, it was worth it to work through this exercise.
You have the ability to rapidly accelerate your growth and create new opportunities in your life. It’s right there inside you. But something (or a few things!) are holding you back. I hope you’re one step closer to discovering what that is and how to work past it so that all that you want out of life is possible.
If this exercise opened up the doors to a journey of self-discovery you’re ready to go on, I’m here. I’ve walked alongside so many entrepreneurs to help them work past the obstacles that are keeping them from the reality they want to create, and I can walk with you, too.
