What’s the number one thing would-be-and-should-be-thought-leaders-and-industry-innovators blame for why they’re not taking the first small step to bring their own game-changing, spirit-inspiring Big Idea to life? (Hint: it’s not because they don’t have a Big Idea, or that they believe Big Ideas Aren’t for Commoners).
Money.
To that I say… Hogwash. Money itself is not the reason we don’t take inspired action (though it is one of the more socially-acceptable things to blame). However, our relationship to money can stop us dead-in-our-tracks.
The fact is, we all have a relationship with money, we all have a dance that we do with it. Whether we feel guilty because we have a lot of it, scared because we have very little of it, controlled because we don’t want it to go away, or needy because we just want more of it.
We all do a dance with money… and you have the choice whether yours is going to create the space (and the means) for innovative thinking and Big Ideas, or whether it’s going to keep you doing-what-you’ve-always-done-and-gettin’-what-you’ve-always-gotten.
3 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship to Money to Support Your Big Ideas
This exercise is compliments of one of my business mentors, Kendall Summerhawk:
Step 1: [Do this step first without looking at Step 2... don't cheat!] Think of a positive, healthy relationship you have with somebody in your life. Write that person’s name down (be sure to pick someone who you’ve actually known, whether they are still alive or not). Now, answer the below questions as quickly as possible. Write from your heart, not your head, without judging your answers:
- What are the qualities that describe your relationship?
- How do you feel about yourself when you think about this relationship?
- How do you feel about the other person?
- What do they give you?
- What do you receive?
- What do you do in this relationship? In other words, what is your role?
- What do you ask for?
- What is it that you know about this other person?
- What is a metaphor that symbolizes this relationship?
- What can you count on?
- Who are you in this relationship?
Step 2: Go back through the exercise and fill in the word “money.”
Step 3: Read back through the questions — notice how this shifts your feelings toward money. What comes up for you that is noteworthy?
Notice how differently you feel and what feels possible when the money dance you’re doing is a positive one. Now, what’s stopping you from taking the first small step to bring your Big Idea to life??
