You Don't Have to Be Rich - 4 Steps to Enjoy The Money You Have More

Remember when money was fun? When you were a little kid and it felt exciting to get your first pennies or quarters? With a few dollars in your pocket, you might have even felt rich. Perhaps you had a sense of freedom. Isn't that what we want as adults from our money - a sense of freedom and to be able to enjoy the money we have rather than feel anxious or worried?

Fill in this blank - Rich people are ________. If you're not rich you might say something like - rich people are greedy, or dishonest, or different. When I give talks about money most people respond with a negative statement. That's too bad, because of course those that have money could also be described as generous or giving. But our cultural beliefs about money run deep and quite negative. That's limiting in terms of becoming rich yourself.  

It's true that the rich are getting RICHER. According to The Huffington Post reported Oxfam's "Working For The Few" report that the world's 85 richest people own the same amount as the bottom half of the entire global population." 

But, solving the financial equality of the world is too big a subject for this blog.

Instead, let's talk about the 4 things you can do to enjoy the money you have more. 

A study reported in the book Happy Money by Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton asks:  "Would your life satisfaction double if you made $55,000 a year vs. $25,000 a year?" Most people say yes. But, research shows that those making twice as much money - 55K vs. 25K - were only 9% more satisfied than those making $25,000.

Happy Money's research also shows that once you're making about $75,000 a year, more money has NO IMPACT on day to day feelings of happiness. 

Since making more money to be happier is really more of an illusion than reality, what can you do to ENJOY and VALUE the money you do have?

4 Steps to Enjoying the Money You Have:

As a Money Coach who works with women in small business and direct sales I coach women to look at how they value the money they have and in the process can enjoy what they have, right now, more.

1) Buy more experiences than stuff. When we buy experiences, like the 3 week vacation my husband Dave and I just took, they are more lasting and meaningful than material things. Buying experiences contributes to happiness much more than stuff.

2) Make things special by having treats. For example, people that ate chocolate once a week anticipated and savored the chocolate vs. those that ate it every day.

3) Give away small amounts of money - like putting a $1.00 in the Food Box at the grocery counter.  It feels good to give and it's a good Law Of Attraction action.

4) Voluntarily Simplify:  If one has to live in a small house because they lost their big house in the Great Recession, that's one thing. But, my husband and I choose to live in a small home, drive moderately priced cars and take 4-6 weeks of vacation a year. Living within your means can feel very empowering.

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Certified Money & Business Coach, Professional Speaker & author, Lynn Telford-Sahl, writes the weekly PowerUP Your Money blog for women in sales and small business. If you’re ready to PowerUP your Money, your Business & your JOY get your FREE Strategy Session with Lynn at www.joywithmoney.com

Your Stressed Brain on Money: 3 Steps to Make Better Financial Decisions

Your brain on money. We women in business love to believe that our logical brain is in charge when it comes to making decisions about money. If we're not in stress or fight or flight, this is true. But, when stressed, it's the emotional brain that's running the show. The research of Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, founder of the Trauma Center in Brookline, Massachusetts, shows that even people with no trauma history, but who are undergoingespecially strong emotional stimulation, we shift into the right-brain (emotional) processing which shuts off logic.  

Emotions Rule - forget the budget you've set for yourself. ATTENTION shoppers - this is WHY - when you come home from a super stressful day at work, your kids are after you for attention, you have to cook dinner, get the homework, etc. and FINALLY, emotionally exhausted, you turn to the internet to do a little SHOPPING and spend more than you had intended. 

I talk to women in business every day who would love to be able to know how to manifest more money, but are worried about credit card debt, saving 6 months earnings for a cushion account, retirement, their children's education, AND have HUGE credit card debt.

What's happening with the brain here? INSTANT GRATIFICATION vs. delayed gratification. Dr. Krueger author of The Secret Language of Money says the logical part of brain says, "I'm saving for my future." But the emotional part says "Oh yeah - I want the money now." And, we know who wins, right?

We aren't going to change the nature of the brain, but we can help our brain make better thought out money decisions by getting the emotional and logical sides of the brain to work together.

Here are 3 Steps to Make Better Financial Decisions:

1) If you're super stressed or upset, table any decisions until you've calmed down. Going through a divorce, losing a business, experiencing an illness all hike emotion. Wait at least 24 hours.

2) Talk to a friend or preferably financial advisor or Money coach to get support and a reality check so you help your brain stay more in logic than emotion.

One of my money coaching clients saved $5,000 in one month and $60,000 over the next year by making one logical vs. emotional decision. It pays to SLOW down, get help and create a plan!!

3) Create a structured plan. What are your financial goals? Write out the action steps to achieve them. For example: Create a 6 month cushion account. Action Step: Only go out to dinner 1x a week. Take money saved and have it automatically deposited into a savings account. DON'T TOUCH SAVINGS.

Click Here for FREE 15 Minute Consult for any money question you have. My gift to you.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR ON YOUR WEB SITE?

You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

Certified Money & Business Coach, Professional Speaker & author, Lynn Telford-Sahl, writes the weekly PowerUP Your Money blog for women in sales and small business. If you’re ready to PowerUP your Money, your Business & your JOY get your FREE Strategy Session with Lynn at www.joywithmoney.com

Are You Making These Time Management Mistakes? 4 Tips to Be a Master Rather than Slave to Time

As a woman in business is TIME MANAGEMENT driving you a bit crazy? Do you feel like you're a slave or a master of the TIME in your life? What I hear from women is they feel overwhelmed and that time is constantly, elusively, getting away from them.  I understand - I feel like that myself at times.

Let's set the stage here - time is the same as it's ever been. What's different? Technology and the constant demand of it. This includes the internet as we know it, which has been around less than 20 years - more like 15. Then we add in smart phones, social media, etc and no wonder we get overwhelmed. Technology pulls our attention in many different ways throughout our work day and UNLESS we are VERY determined to MANAGE HOW MUCH and WHEN we engage - we can feel out of control and sort of victimized.

But, we are not victims. KNOW THIS - your most important time management tool is your BRAIN. Here's a technique to help you move from time slave to master.  

Stay conscious of where your MIND is going by re-evaluating when you're overwhelmed, stressed or anxious with these 4 steps:

1) PAUSE  - Take 10 breaths

2) THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT - Is your thinking productive, day-dreamy, on-task or off? Have you followed the text or email shiny object?  

3) REFOCUS - Refocus your mind on what's productive and positive. If necessary, stand up, wave your arms around, and slap your hands up and down your arms on either side to get the energy moving.

4) WHAT IF? - If you're struggling or stuck with a project - ask this expanding question:  What IF?  What if I knew the answer? What IF I am making contact with the right potential client? The WHAT IF question opens the mind to possibilities and triggers creative problem solving. *

Time management apps like Toggl, Evernote, Remember the Milk, and project managers like one I use called Trello are all good.

As a Money and Business Coach I help women manifest more TIME and attract MONEY through their thoughts, habits and actions.

*NOTE: adapted from Using Your Brain to Win by Holly G. Green - very good!!

The Secret Time Management Question You Need to Know as a Woman in Business

Women Business Owners: What’s the Secret Time Management Question you need to know? Are you like most women who struggle with “TIME MANAGEMENT”?

As a Money Coach I ask women to check in when feeling unfocused or stressed about work, with this SECRET Time Management Question “Is the activity I’m doing right now REVENUE producing?”  Boom! Don’t ignore your answer or make excuses or answer that text to distract yourself. Just listen to your answer. That’s right – If you’re not able to stay focused and keep your attention on revenue producing activities during your workday – why are you in business? Remember the saying? If we’re not making money, we have a hobby business. Yikes.

Financial Coaches and experts say that, depending on our profession, we want 20-30% of our time each day spent on specific revenue producing activities. Do you know how much of your time is going exactly where? If not, do you know how to figure that number out? See Bonus Discovery Session below and I’ll personally help you.

3 Time Management Ground Rules:

Do you have any limiting beliefs about your time and money? These ground rules in place for answering emails and attending to work related social media? The first rule is to keep to business only during the workday. Second Rule: Turn off automatic pings or alerts for email or texts -TOO DISTRACTING. I never have them on.

Rule Three: Have regular times you call people back or answer emails. I suggest first thing in the morning, mid afternoon – just after lunch - and evening before you quit for the day. Try these  simple rules for the next 30 days – they will make a big FOCUS difference for you.

BONUS: I am now offering a Complimentary PowerUP Your Money & Your Business Discovery Session to get at the heart of your money & business challenges to be able to manifest breakthroughs. This session is all about helping you know what’s working with your money & your business and where the breakthrough is for you. There’s no obligation or pressure.

Guarantee:  I will help you answer the Revenue question – how much of my day – EXACTLY – is Revenue Producing. And, I guarantee you will get an answer to the Revenue question or one other burning money or business question during the Discovery Session.

Call Lynn at 209 492-8745 to set up your personal appointment now, or email at lynntelfordsahl@gmail.com  

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR ON YOUR WEB SITE?

You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

Certified Money & Business Coach, Professional Speaker & author, Lynn Telford-Sahl, writes the weekly PowerUP Your Money blog for women in sales and small business. If you’re ready to PowerUP your Money, your Business & your JOY get your FREE Strategy Session with Lynn at www.joywithmoney.com

4 Hurdles of Women Business Divas & 4 Reasons Why Women Shine!

Lynn’s definition of Diva: Women determined to BE their best, DO their best, serve others in the process, make more $$ and have more FUN!

Four Mistakes Women in Business Make:

1) Women in Business undercharge for their products, time and services. It’s a worthiness issue. 

2) Women owned business are under capitalized. A National Association of Women Business Owners survey found that 75% of respondents did not get loans or credit at all. (I wonder if these women are using credit cards to finance their businesses?)

3) Women don’t have the built in financial networks or support systems that men do. NOTE: It’s only been since 1988 (26 years) that the Women’s Business Ownership Act eliminated state laws that required women to have a male relative co-sign a business loan. Can you believe it?

4) Women in business don’t take enough risks. Probably iin part because they’re underfunded and the worthiness challenge.

In spite of these challenges women SHINE! It’s exciting to see women starting new businesses and up-leveling current ones.  Here are 4 reasons why women owned businesses are going to explode in the next few years.

1) Women are more customer focused. "The only thing ranked higher for women (according to Mark D. Wolf of The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, is family and religion."

2) Women multi-task more easily than men – Men might have come up with the fancy multi-tasking word to describe doing lots of things at once, but women have BEEN multi-tasking for eons. We were just too busy to name it!

3) Women value a positive work environment, paying employees better and making employees feel as if they’re part of a team. (I’ve heard the complaints about women’s backbiting and emotionalism, but I have never experienced it.)

4) Women are more collaborative and are using social networks and supports systems for help in their businesses – and to support others. Decide to BE a Woman Business Diva in 2014 and SHINE.

If you're ready to BE a Business Diva in 2014 join Lynn for her Free Monthly Webinar: Step on the Gas Pedal Business Goals & Strategies for 2014  

Want to use this article in your newsletter or on your web site?

You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: 

Certified Money & Business Coach, Author and Professional Speaker, Lynn Telford-Sahl, writes the weekly PowerUP Your Money blog for women in sales and small business. If you’re ready to PowerUP your Money and your Business Success get your FREE Strategy Session with Lynn at www.joywithmoney.com  

*popular article originally published March 2010 and updated for 2014!!

How I Saved $14,000 in One Day On Vacation

How did this Money Coach save $14,000 in one day while on vacation? Sound like a miracle? Well, it sorta was. My husband, Dave and I were on vacation in sunny Escondido at the Lawrence Welk Resort - yes, you heard that right. Lawrence Welk of 60s TV & bubble fame has built a money making resort about 40 minutes north of San Diego. Why did we drive 7 hours to stay there? Because it's child friendly and our grandchildren are joining us so that we can make good on our Christmas present to them - a trip to the San Diego Zoo.

But, let me get back to the big money we saved today. For two full day Zoo passes worth $88.00 we, in a moment of weakness, insanity, fill in the blank, decided it was worth it to attend a - you guessed it -a 90 minute TimeSHARE Presentation. Three hours later, though a bit financially stressed, we walked out as rich as when we met our lovely saleswoman Lynne, a therapist soul-sister, who did everything in her sweet power to convince us that it was "nothing" to add to our 2 timeshares, or trade them in on the NEW even better development of the Lawrence Welk resort - all for only $14,000.

By the time we'd been there nearly 3 hours, we almost caved - we were wearing out and wearing down and the last deal, the smallest deal, the best trading deal was starting to sound good.  (Our math also showed us that the 3 hours we'd sat patiently while Lynne very sweetly described all the glories of ownership was worth between $600.00 - 800.00 of our time by our hourly rates - somehow this helped direct us back to sanity.) As we began to weaken we thought if we just signed the deal we'd get out of there. Dave and I had a private conference and did the figures again and in our regained frugal sanity realized we can do a lot with the $14,000 it would have cost for a week a year timeshare - we can remodel our bathroom, we can upgrade to a larger unit when we go to Mexico and we go every year (of course we already have a TimeShare - doesn't everyone?) 

As Dave and I escaped from the Time Share building, we laughed in relief - we'd just saved $14,000 and we got those $88.00 Zoo Tickets. Here are quick rules on how to keep your money in your pocket if you attend one of these presentations:  Smile, nod, be polite, firmly grip your partners hand and give each other the NO, don't you dare say yes grip as needed, keep smiling and as they present their last option, say please give us a couple minutes and then a sweet, clear and firm NO when the sales person returns. Yes there is disappointment - I hate to say no to a sales person - but your money will be in tact. Enjoy!!

Suffer from Moneychondria - The Fear of Having Money?

Women in business, do you suffer from Moneychondria, the fear of having money?

I know it sounds funny, but maybe you’re more afraid of money than you realize...

Are any of these Financially Stressful things true for you?

* You spend more than you make.

* You “debt,” or consistently run up credit card debt.

*  You under-earn or…

*  You overspend or shop when stressed or anxious

*  You give your money away to children and other “needy” folks and don’t keep enough for yourself – for a safety cushion or retirement.

It’s safe to say many of us have conflicts about money.

Why? We want the American Dream and yet reaching it can prove to be illusive.  After all – how much money is enough? And, how much is too much? 

Get curious instead of furious with your money challenges. Take action to identify money challenges and DO something proactive by creating a PLAN and Specific Steps to move forward.

I help women make more money – by breaking through money barriers to create Prosperity & have FUN in the process. Next FREE Financial Freedom Introductory Webinar for Women in Business Aug 20th http://lynntelfordsahl.com/womens-inner-money-game-free/

Next FREE 3 Steps to Financial Freedom Webinar Aug 20 http://lynntelfordsahl.com/womens-inner-money-game-free/

Have Fun: Identify Your Money Type & Break Through Money Barriers

Looking at my money could be fun? Ugh is what most of us think. Money is one of those subjects we try to avoid. After all it's uncomfortable to think about how much we owe, or how little our next pay check will be. But avoidance doesn't solve our money challenges and believe me, both personally and as a Certified Money Coach, we ALL have money challenges. This is why it makes good sense to have expert help for women in business.

It doesn't have to be scary learning about our relationship with money. It can be FUN to look at our strengths and challenges by getting to know our Money Types.

For example:  Are you the type who is happy-go-lucky most of the time, but avoidant when it comes to money? You may be an Innocent. Or, are you financially successful, goal driven but a bit of a rescuer? Ah...The focused Warrior is a great worker to have on your side. Or, perhaps you know someone who is self-sacrificing, long-suffering and may give money but with strings attached? I relate to part of this archetype which is the Martyr who also tends to overwork. The clue for me that I'm slipping into my Martyr is feeling resentful. Then I know to pay attention and take a break

By taking the quick and easy Money Type Quiz you'll discover which of the 8 money or archetypes are showing up in your relationship with money. Oh, you didn't know you have a relationship with money? Well, we do and money affects everything in our lives. David Krueger, author of The Secret Language of Money says, "Money is more than just money. It's about everything. Everything we eat, drink, fear and buy; everything."

What we don't know that we don't know about money we can get us into trouble - think credit card debt, foreclosures, short-sales. Knowledge about how we think, feel and behave with money helps to keep us safe, plan for our future, have fun and create financial freedom as we feel more in control of our money.  

Take the Complimentary Money Quiz and receive a FREE 15 minute phone or Skype Consult with Lynn personally to go over the results. I guarantee you'll learn something important about you and your money!!

(*Money Types by Deborah Price - The Money Coaching Institute and used with permission)

Women - Get Your Money House In Order

Money is power and women are taught to be nice, not powerful. Really. Think about that. From the time we're little girls we're taught to think about others and to override our own feelings for the sake of someone else's. Boys are taught to win and compete and they feel very comfortable with that. Personally, I believe we women can be powerful AND nice.

In order to get your Money House in Order first identify one or two mistakes you've been making with money. Here are a few to pick from. Try to be objective and don't blame yourself. The powerful stance is to take responsibility, learn from our mistakes and make new decisions to take new action this coming year.

Mistakes Women Make with Money:

1) Spend Unconsciously: Piddle money away on things like Starbucks, another pair of shoes, fast food.

Money House in Order Power Tip:  Get a small notebook or on a SmartPhone use the Note function and track every single expenditure over the next 30 days. Eye-opening. 

2) Take Care of Others Before Take Care of Self Financially: How many times have you (to be nice) given money to your adult children, boyfriends, partners, parents, people in need rather than save more of it for your future?  

Money House in Order Power Tip: Consider that most women don't have enough money to live comfortably in retirement, especially single women. Give, but give consciously and sometimes giving to adult children is financial enabling and hurts rather than truly helps.  

3) Overspend or Overshop to Cope with Anxiety, Stress or Just Because:  Women waste so much money on things they don't need. "A need is replacing something that's worn out. A want is everything else." ( Peggy Gardiner, Professional Organizer)  It's fun to shop. I get it. But, stay conscious of the immediate pleasure vs. how your money needs to work for you over the long term.

Money House in Order Power Tip: If you tend to shop when feeling anxious or stressed take a PAUSE to think rather than shop out of habit. During this pause take 10 breaths.  Ask yourself - what do I really need? Time, relaxation, listening to, fun, pleasure?  What are other ways I can satisfiy this? How much can I really afford to spend? What's the most powerful thing I can do with this money?  

Here's to you getting your money house in order and as a result feeling and being more powerful with your financial choices.  Remember, you can be nice and powerful.  

Big Girl ACTION: 

1)  For fun, take the Money Type Quiz to find out whether you’re a Warrior Money Type – focused and disciplined or possibly a Fool – happy-go-lucky, not necessarily good at paying the bills.  Lynn offers a FREE 15 minute results phone consult.