The Martyr Money Type is a Giver…With Strings!

The Martyr Money Type is a Giver...With Strings! Identifying your Money Archetype or Money Type helps you to more clearly your money strengths and weaknesses. With awareness there’s choice and the opportunity for change. There are 8 different Money Types.

The Money Type: The Martyr

As a woman in business, do you over-give to your family, friends and co-workers but have a hard time taking care of yourself? Do you shop for stress relief instead of going to the gym, taking a walk in nature, or talking with caring friends? Shopping may be therapeutic if you’re not stressing yourself with overspending or debt. If you give money to help others, often there are gooey strings attached. “I’ll help you out, but then….” And, self-care is often the last thing on the Martyr’s list and what they most need to change this pattern. The Martyr can limit beliefs about success or earning potential and burn-out is around the corner for this woman business owner. 

Take the FREE and FUN Money Quiz to see if The Martyr Money Type is more in charge than you’d like her to be. There are 8 Money Types and they aren’t WHO we are, they help us see how we’re showing up with money.  15 minute Consult available. 

When it comes to how we really are with our money vs. how we think we are there can be a vast reality gap. “Cognitive neuroscientists conclude that the self-conscious mind (the aware that we’re aware mind) contributes only about 5% of our cognitive activity.” (Bruce Lipton, Spontaneous Evolution) That means 95% of our emotions, decisions and actions are derived from the unobserved (underground) subconscious mind. This is where what we don’t know that we don’t knowabout how we’re showing up with money creates real blind spots in what we allow ourselves to earn, how we value the money we make and how we care and grow our money for the future.

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, is a financial coach who 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 powerupyourmoney.com

(*Money Coaching System copyright material developed by Deborah Price, Money Coaching Institute and used with permission)

The Money Gorilla: What What Does a Gorilla Have to Do with Making Money for Women in Business?

What does a Gorilla have to do with making money for women in business? There’s an experiment that shows a videotape* of six college students on a basketball court. Three are wearing white shirts, three dark shirts. The instructor asks them to randomly pass a ball amongst themselves and asks the audience to count only the number of passes between the white-shirted students in one minute. About halfway through the process a woman in a gorilla suit slowly walks through the students, who ignore her. The gorilla turns and faces the camera and pounds her chest. Then she leaves the circle.

You’d think the gorilla would catch the attention of the audience, right? BUT 60% of the audience DOES NOT see the gorilla!!!!**

Well, just like on the basketball court, the Gorilla can be there with your money but you don't see it because you're focused on other things. If you can't SEE the Gorilla your money blind spots may be getting in the way of making enough money or keeping the money you make.

What are some of the top money blind spots for women?  A big gorilla I notice is women avoiding rather than paying enough attention to their money in conscious and proactive ways.

Whatever is uncomfortable is human nature to avoid – but to be successful we can’t afford to not pay attention.

Here’s a quick Numbers Check List you can use to stay AWARE of the Gorilla. Because until we're on top of our numbers, it's hard to manifest more money.

Net Profit – monthly and annual - how do you track and stay aware?

Monthly & Annual Expenses - "It's not just the money we make - but the money we keep." Robert Kiyosaki.

DEBT: Add up all the credit card balances for a – take a breath – TOTAL.  Knowledge keeps the Gorilla visible!!

Debt payment plan – How much each month will pay off balances by when? Take ACTION.

Cushion Savings Account – Automatic Deduction each month builds savings faster than you'd think!!

Retirement Savings Account – Start with something small - something is better than nothing. $25.00 a month for 20 years is better than waiting until you’re in your 50s to get started.

Want to know your Money Type? The Money Types are a fun, unique way to discover your Money Strengths & Challenges by taking The Money Quiz.

 Resources: *There’s a great YouTube clip called The Monkey Business Illusion produced by Daniel Simon **Using Your Brain to Win in Today’s Hyper-Paced World  by Holly G Givens)

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 209 492-8745

Women in Business 3 or More Years - Assess What's Working - What's Not?

If you're a woman in business and you've been in business 3 years or more January is a great time to assess how it's going. You're hitting the crucial 3 to 5 year mark where, I'm sorry to say this, most businesses fail. Or, your business may bump along, more in the way of a hobby than a real business.

First assessment question: Are you making money?  If not, then your business is a hobby. If that's true, don't despair.  This is when you get serious about how to make your business profitable, or decide you're ok with a part time business that's fun, but not necessarily making money.

Here's the big question: What's Working and What's Not Working about your business?  Now, sit down and make a list first of what's working. Really, right now. Give yourself credit for what's going well and the Not Working list tells you where you need help. Keep the not working list short and those become your goals to fix in 2014.

One area to assess is your  Power Team. Do you have a CPA, bookkeeper, Attorney, Assistant, Coach on your team? Here's a hint - in the beginning you can do your books yourself - but it takes time away from being in front of clients or prospecting. As soon as possible - DELEGATE that task to a bookkeeper. Not a CPA - use the CPA for your tax preparation and any questions you have. That's a good use of your dollars and will make you money. When I did that my income went up.

Other areas to assess include:  Sales, sales follow-up, systems including time management (watch out for email, Facebook time wasters), bookkeeping, bill paying, procedures and polities, forms or templates particular to your business. For example, I have templates set up for new clients where I insert information and send. My assistant can do this work also.

We've all heard the phrase that most of us work too hard IN our business with the daily activities and don't spend enough time working ON our business, which is the planning and strategizing for success.  In our business is the small picture  -  ON our business is the big picture.  

At the heart of my business I want to make money, of course, but my goal is to have FUN. I totally agree with Colleen C. Barrett, American Businesswoman that “Work is either fun or drudgery. It depends on your attitude. I like FUN."  

Check out Lynn's FREE monthly Webinar: Step on the Gas Pedal 

Want to use this article in your newsletter or website? 

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

3 Tips to Turn Failure into Success

Failure isn't failure if we learn from it.  Just between you and me, I've had many failures in my life. If you're a woman in business you've had your share also!

Here are 3 Tips to Turn Failure into Success:

1) An optimistic attitude is essential:  Scott Adams, of Dilbert comic strip fame and author of How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big lists his failures in the book and there were over 20. But he had unfailing optimism and he finally succeeded BIG.  

2) Keep your foot on the gas pedal:  Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and author of Lean IN says women need to keep their foot on the gas pedal.  I agree. Sometimes we take the foot off the gas pedal because we've been working really hard, had some successes and think it's time to rest. Sometimes women in business take their foot off the gas pedal to have a family. I think she has a point that if you're wanting to compete with the big boys you have to stay in the game. Women are still bumping up against the glass ceiling although we're making progress. 

3) Learn from your Failures & Mistakes:  Robert Kiyosaki, author of the Rich Dad Poor Dad series, makes a valid point about the education system. He says it doesn't allow for falures and to make mistakes. As a young business man his first business failed, he lost millions, yet what he learned from that failure helped him succeed with his next business.  

As I look back at 2013 I see my failures - not staying focused on one thing at a time - and my successes - closer to my financial goal, more systems in place anda  much improved bottom line.  

Turn failures into successes by first listing your TA-DA's:  Make a list of your successess for 2013 and of any failures. Write down what you learned from each mistake and what you can do differently in 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: 

Author, Money & Business Coach, Lynn Telford-Sahl publishes the monthly PowerUP Your Money for women in business. If you’re ready to get past financial stress, value yourself and your money more, get your FREE tips now. www.powerupyourmoney.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, Author and Professional Speaker, Lynn Telford-Sahl, writes the weekly JOYwithMoney blog for women in sales and small business. If you’re ready to PowerUP your Money, Business & JOY Success get your FREE Strategy Session with Lynn at www.joywithmoney.com

Business Success Isn’t Magic – It Takes Planning!!

Business success isn't magic - it takes planning! We, women in business, work hard IN our businesses, but often don’t spend enough time working ON our business doing the planning, goal setting and strategiziing necessary to achieve our dreams.  

The smart, successful coach Katrina Sawa once shared with me that 1 hour of planning saves 6 hours of WORK.

Let's get smarter!! Be honest - Are you spending enough time planning for your success? It's good to first define what success means because yours and mine are going to be different.  I’m a simple gal with pretty simple needs. Your life dreams & needs may be a Starbucks Trenta or a Grande – mine is more of a Short or Tall. It’s all good – we just need to define it for ouself.

1) What is your definition of success?  For me success is freedom, abundance, happiness and time to enjoy life and yes, to make plenty of money to do all that! 

What’s your definition?  _____________

2) Get Clear About Financial Success by Setting a Reasonably Uncomfortable Financial Goal for 2014.

To come up with this number consider the lifestyle you’re currently living and the one you would like to be living.  And, don’t forget to factor in how hard you are willing to work. There's no right or wrong about this - it's your life and you get to decide.

One business woman, Jodi, hit her goal of $150,000 a year, but she was exhausted. The next year she scaled the number back to fit a more relaxed lifestyle.

Research shows that after $75,000 a year, most Americans have enough to meet their needs with enough extras and that more money only increases happiness by about 9%.  What is your enough number?

Your Reasonably Uncomfortable Financial Goal:  _____________ 

Now, don't just write it down. Tell someone. Last year in my 4th Annual Business Strategy Workshop in January, I asked the women to first write their financial goal and then say it out loud to the person next to them. Uncomfortable. Then I asked those that were brave enough to say it out loud to the group. Vicky Johnson, Financial Planner, of Principal Finance shared with me that was difficult, but by Sept. of 2013 she'd surpassed her goal.

Next blog I'll show you how to work backwards from your financial goal to make sure you meet it!! 

Sign me up for FREE Money Strategy Session

2 Steps to Shift from Money Fear & Stress to Gratitude

How do you shift from stressing about money to gratitude, JOY and freedom? That may sound impossible, but it's not. It just takes time, energy and of course: FOCUS.

If you're feeling unhappy about your money situation and there may be very good reason - a job loss, divorce, downsizing, overwhelming debt, finally let your house go into foreclosure, it may sound impossible to feel you'll ever be ok again.

But, you can be and the answer is part perspiration and part inspiration.

Step 1:  Let's tackle the fear first:  

1) Write down all the money fears you have on a piece of paper that you'll throw away. Go on - do it and do it now.

2) Feel the fear - I know this ain't fun, but "feel it to heal it" is a truism and it only lasts a minute. Notice where you most feel the energy of the fear in your body. Rate the fear on a scale of 0-10 with 10 the worst. Breathe into your body for a few minutes feeling it with the in breath and releasing the fear with the exhale. Rerate the charge of the anxiety on a scale of 0-10 again.  Better? Little shift? Repeat until the number down enough to feel relief.

3) Now, if you're ready, ask - what's the blessing of this situation or money fear that I'm having? As soon as we gain perspective because we're not so caught up in the emotion, we can THINK better and be aware of any blessings. When we're deeply IN the emotion we can't think.

 4) If you can't go there yet, it's ok.  Think about and FIND at least 3 things in your life you can be grateful for right now - List them, feel the gratitude and imagine you have a REMOTE control in your hand that you can dial the number up to increase the FEELING of gratitude in your body and mind.  Raise the number as much as you'd like. Repeat this process until you feel complete - may take a few days to weeks. We're all different in terms of how willing we are to let go of the past. When you're ready go back to Step 3 and find the blessing of the money challenge.

Step 2:  You know how you read in Oprah Magazine and many other places, about how important it is to be GRATEFUL? Do you know why? Fear and stress lower our energy, depress us and disempower our ability to focus on what we want to create in our lives. Gratitude, love, happiness increase our energy state and therefore increase our ability to see possibilities, focus on what we'd like to have more of in our lives and very important - REFOCUS when we lose our momentum and or stuff happens - and we all know stuff happens to all of us.  

A very simple formula is to write down 3 different things you're grateful for every day. I like to do so at the end of the day. Writing it down cements it into your subconscious and then you take those positive feelings into sleep where your subconscious works with it to help you create more of what you want.

If you get stuck on the fear and this is like any CHANGE process - it takes time to RETRAIN the brain (our most powerful instrument) say the words out loud:  CANCEL  CANCEL and then think about the opposite of the problem you were thinking about.  For example:  I don't know how I'll make payroll.  CANCEL CANCEL and think or say:  I know I'll find a way to make the rent.  Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Your subconscious will start looking for solutions.  

Resources about this subject:  FREE Monthly Webinar: December's 3 Keys to Turn Holiday Stress into Peacehttp://lynntelfordsahl.com/3-keys-to-holiday-peace  Lynn's Money Coaching Programs, Wayne Dyer:  Wishes Fulfilled, (CD with James Twyman excellent meditation), Esther Hicks material, Jack Canfield or Mark Victor Hanson.  

Business Success as a Woman: 4 Power Tips

Women & Power = Money (& so much more.) When I use the word power with my women coaching clients, they can act uncomfortable. Why? Because they've seen power used as a method of control or as a power over manuever. The Boss is in control - I have to do what he or she says.  

However, the definition of Power is simple:  To Act.  A recent article in the New York Times: "You Have Power: Don't Be Afraid to Use It," interviewed successful women. 

Here are 4 nuggets they shared about power, how to support yourself and each other and to achieve success:

1) Women can and should help one another and stop under valuing "...the role that we can play in the success of other people and the organization." Amy Schulman, Exective vice president and general counsel, Pfizr

2) Be vocal in group settings and don't make statements that sound like questions. (Women are still trying to prove they belong - men know they do). Amy Schulman

3) Trust your inner soul, use your voice. Cooperation is a great female strength and in groups of men, "...you must speak up and believe in yourself."  Doreen Lorenzo, President, Quirky, a product development company

4) Don't be afraid of being "nice."  Marjorie Kaplan, of Animal Planet, says she manages based on expectations rather than fear. And, if men aren't being respectful at a meeting, for example by not introducing themselves, speak up. Doreen Lorenzo says if you're not being treated respectually end the meeting: "We're going to end this conversation until you listen to me. Don't be afraid to use your power."

(*New York Times "You Have Power. Don't Be Afraid to use It." Oct 13, 2013)

The message from these powerful corporate and entrepreneurial women is quite clear. The corporate culture stlll tends to be traditional, however women are making a difference and need to support each other. All these women are successful, have learned through the school of hard knocks. Be successful, believe in yourself and get help when you need it.

"People Love to Give Me Money" - Obamacare Makes Insurers Pay Refunds

"People love to give me money," is an affirmation I picked up from Chellie Campbell author of The Wealthy Spirit, that I LOVE saying whenever I get unexpected money. I just received a check for $120.00 as a refund through Obamacare.

How? Here's the scoop:  Thank Obama for helping insurance companies be more accountable to us and the dollars they spend. The Affordable Care Act requires Blue Shield (& I imagine every other insurer) to spend at least 80% of the premiums it receives on health care services, not adminiatration or advertising. Since Blue Cross didn't, it refunded 2% of our premium which for me amounted to $120.00. Not a lot, but it went right in the bank for the vacation we just took to San Diego. Yes to vacations!!

"This 80/20 Rule of the Affordable Care Act is intended to ensure that consumers get value for their health care dollars. You can go to: http://www.healthcare.gov/law/features/costs/value-for-premium/index.html  for more info.

I help women in business make more money - keep more of their money - and have fun in the process! Register for FREE Webinar Women's Inner Money Game & How to Win It 

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/

How Does Your Money Talk to You?

How does your money talk to you? Bob Dylan says: "Money doesn't talk - it screams." Like sex in the 50s or family abuse secrets in the 70s, the subject of money is taboo.  Sshh... Don't talk about your money!!

We don't talk about how much money we make, whether we can pay our bills or not, about the financial stress or hardship we're experiencing. It's embarrassing and we think we're alone, but we're not. There's a saying from the field of psychology, that we're only as sick as the secrets we keep. Money is the last taboo and we need to share our money truths to feel better and move forward.

See if you relate to any of these thoughts or beliefs about money that Louse Hay discusses in her article, "Are You Friends With Your Money?"

* I can't save money

* I don't earn enough

* My credit rating is bad

* Why does everyone else have money?

* Bankruptcy is around the corner

Notice these are all fear based thoughts about money. Because of the economy there's been a considerable fear and negativity around our money. This is actually good if we take steps and not let the fear overwhelm our ability to take action, work diligently to be real about what's going on and take our power back.

The first step out of money fear is to break denial and tell the truth to yourself and your spouse. Make a list of all the money you owe and the money coming in. Create an action plan and look at your list every day while taking daily small incremental steps - pay $10.00 on PGE, talk to the bank, again, send out 10 resumes. Staying on track with an action plan will help you feel more in control.

Financial freedom takes work. You start where you are. It's ok. You're not alone. Tell the truth, make a list, create a plan, take daily small steps, stay conscious of your spending, and don't forget to dream and envision what you want. We need to focus more on where we're going than where we've been or what we've lost. The American Dream isn't dead, but it's been tarnished. It's up to us to shine it up again.