Today, I want to introduce you to a new concept: Money Scarcity.
If you’ve been feeling worried about money, or if you think you can’t have all the money you want, then this post will help you.
In fact, I want to help you redefine your relationship with money.
First, let me give you a little background on what makes me qualified to talk about money and why this is so near and dear to my heart…
Money Scarcity
My Background With Money
I’ve been studying money for almost 10 years now. My money journey started when I graduated law school with over $200,000 in student loan debt.
I started my money journey, fell in love with learning about money, eventually quit practicing law to become a Certified Financial Planner, and have since continued to learn about money and implement and teach everything I know.
In the process, I’ve paid off all my law school debt. And my business also makes over $45k per month (next big goal is seven figures!).
I love money.
People get all weird and offended when I say that.
Know that it’s from a clean place. It’s not from attachment and greed.
It’s from a place of appreciation.
(If this isn’t making sense to you, join us in Grow You, where wealth is one of the core topics I teach on.)
What I teach about money is very different than other experts.
Money is a very real thing. In fact, it’s a very important thing.
But money starts in the mind. Always.
And so that’s what this post is all about.
So, let’s get started with redefining what money actually is…
Redefining Money
Most people think that money has some inherent meaning.
But that’s not true. Not at all.
Money is neither good nor bad. It has no meaning until you give it meaning. In addition, the money you have in your bank account right now is completely neutral.
It has no meaning.
We decide to give it meaning. And we can also make our money mean anything we want.
So think about logging into your bank account.
What’s the feeling you immediately feel? Anxiety? Worry? Excitement? Shame?
Whatever your feeling is, that feeling is being cause by how you think about your money.
How you feel about money is never created from how much you have (or don’t have).
You could be in debt and have a negative number in your account, but you could still feel like you’re living in abundance.
You could have over $100,000 in your account but you can still be worried about your money.
Your debt is neutral. It also means nothing about you.
You’re not better or worse because of your debt or how much you make. In fact, we are all 100% worthy as humans.
I have a whole podcast all about your Debt Mindset. If you haven’t had the chance to listen to it yet, check it out right after you read this.
The key here is that most people think their money inherently makes them feel good or bad. But it’s just not true.
Money is whatever you want it to be. Most people don’t realize they can think anything about money, so they end up suffering in money scarcity.
What Does Scarcity Mean?
Any time we’re talking about scarcity, we’re talking about “not enough-ness.”
Scarcity means you believe there’s not enough money for you.
It’s a mentality. It’s not based on your circumstances, but on how your brain is programmed.
If you haven’t listened to my podcast episode on Scarcity Vs. Abundance you need to listen to that as well. Because it goes even deeper into this concept to truly help you get an understanding.
We get into money scarcity any time we think we can’t have what we truly want.
Let me give you an example of this. When you hear about someone who is making more money than you, how does it make you feel? Are you feeling jealous? Do you also find yourself separating yourself from them with a “must be nice” attitude? If so, this is because you’re making it mean you can’t have it yourself. When you do this, you’re creating more separation from what you actually want.
When I hear about someone who is making a lot of money or someone who has more money than I do, I’m happy and excited for them. I’m genuinely happy for what they have. And I also want to learn from them and how they got to where they are. I don’t feel any negative emotion (resentment or jealousy). I know that they have money and that’s amazing. And I believe I’m always creating more money, too. I also create connection to what I want, not separation.
Remember: Like attracts like. What you focus on expands. If you think someone else has something you can’t have yourself, you’re only reinforcing that belief that you will never be able to have that.
Money Scarcity sounds like:
- I don’t have enough money for rent.
- We can’t afford to send our children to private school.
- My husband is the one making all the money, so I don’t feel like that money is mine to use.
- I can’t afford something I want.
These thoughts are sneaky. They sound so true.
But they’re just thoughts. And they’re thoughts that are disempowering and don’t have to be true for you.
You can 10000% change your thoughts (and your relationship) about money. In addition, this will get you out of Money Scarcity and into creating Money Abundance.
Your Thoughts About Money
I like to start with the basics. Here, that means: you can think anything you want to about money.
No matter what you hear on the news or read in a book, the choice is always yours to think and believe whatever you want about money.
Using the example of someone going to college, I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone say to me, “I can’t afford to go.” Instead, most people I’ve worked with have said, “I have a lot of debt from school.” Meaning: they found a way to afford going to school.
You can apply this example to almost anything.
It’s so easy to think “I’m not able to afford this.”
Instead, trying thinking, “How can I afford this?”
If you truly are curious and ask your brain how you can afford something, your brain will go to work for you on finding a way for you to be able to afford whatever it is you truly desire.
Your thoughts about money, whether good or bad, will create your feelings, which create your actions, and your results.
Your Feelings About Money
Remember what I said above: how you feel about money has absolutely nothing to do with the number in your bank account.
I’ve felt in abundance with money for a few years now, but I’ve only paid off my debt a few months ago.
I had a negative net worth in the past, but I still felt like I was in abundance with money. I would also think thoughts like, “the money is on it’s way.”
It’s not woo-woo. It’s very real.
When you think a thought that feels better, you create that reality. You make it true for you.
When I paid off that debt, someone said to me “that must feel like freedom; I can’t wait for that!” I told them, “you don’t have to wait to pay off your debt to feel freedom. You can feel freedom right now.”
If you want to feel freedom, you can think a thought that creates the emotion of freedom for you. Nothing in your life ever has to change for you to feel an emotion. There is so much power in knowing this!
There wasn’t a difference in how I felt when I paid off debt. I was in pursuit of a goal, and I felt good the whole time.
I like to teach women in my money coaching to log into their bank account and notice how it makes them feel. The feelings they have are based on the thoughts about their money. The same exact number in one person’s bank account could be in 100 different bank accounts and you’re going to have 100 different feelings about that number based on what each person is thinking.
The money in your account is not causing your feelings. Instead, it’s how you’re choosing to think about your money that’s causing you to feel a certain way about it.
Learning that you can love and accept your money, no matter what it looks like, is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself.
We’re not taught any of this growing up. Instead we’re taught to want more money from a place of not having enough (aka lack).
Wanting Money From Lack (Scarcity)
When you want more money from a place of not having enough, you’re in Money Scarcity.
It sounds like, “I don’t make enough money; I need to make more.”
Living in Money Abundance sounds like, “I appreciate and like the money I have, and I want to create more.”
If you think you don’t have enough money, there’s no amount of money that will make you feel better. I knoooow this is hard to believe, but it’s the truth.
Have you ever wanted to lose weight, then lost it? How often do we say, “just five more pounds” or “well, now my legs need to get more toned.”
When we want from lack, we create more lack. Always, always, always.
For example, you may feel like you NEED to make $100,000 so you can feel secure. When you get to that $100,000 it’s just going to switch to a bigger number. You’re going to think you need $500,000 to feel secure instead.
This is because feeling secure is something you create in your mind. It’s not based on your circumstance.
If you want to feel secure, you can think more useful thoughts about money. For example, you can think:
- “More money is on its way.”
- “Money comes to me easily.”
- “I know I can create more money.”
- “I always find a way to pay my bills.”
- “I always have enough money for today.”
These thoughts are just as true as any of the negative thoughts listed above.
You can always change your thoughts about money. Money Scarcity isn’t the only way.
Taking Responsibility For Creating And Having Money
I want to touch on something that comes up often with my coaching clients that relates to creating and having money.
Sometime, the women I coach feel like their spouse isn’t making enough money.
This can seem like a huge problem for them, but not in the way they’re thinking.
They think it’s a problem because he doesn’t make enough.
The real problem is in the thinking he’s not making enough.
The distinction is everything.
A very important thing to note is this actually comes from a place of societal conditioning so if you find yourself feelings this way, it’s okay! Don’t beat yourself up about it. Instead, notice it and be curious about it.
The truth is: if you want to have more money, you have the responsibility to go and create it for yourself.
It’s not your husbands responsibility to create that money for you.
This sounds so obvious, but it comes up in the SNEAKIEST ways. When you make jokes about how much money he makes or “needs to make to support you”, it’s actually supporting the idea that someone outside of you is responsible for you getting money. It couldn’t be further from the truth.
If you want more money, I have the best news for you: you can create as much money as you want. It starts with you believing you’re the one who can do it. You don’t have to know how to do this, you just have to believe.
A Final Note
Wherever you are with your money right now, know that you’re going to be okay.
You have enough for today, and you can create more from a place of loving what you have right now.
Decide that you want to think about money the right way and be grateful for what you have now.
Say it with me, “I love my money. I know more money is coming. I can create as much money as I want.”
Choose money abundance over money scarcity!
