Women, Money & Power
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 5:03PM Personal Note
My Bubble: I met a woman at a networking event recently and somehow the topic of crime came up. She reacted to a statistic I quoted that crime levels today are actually lower than in the 70s. She cited a number of burglaries that had occurred in her area that hadn’t in year’s prior. At the end she told me I live in a bubble. I suppose I do and I have to say it’s mostly a happy bubble. Let me explain. It’s not that I don’t see bad things happen in the world or stick my head in the sand. It’s also not that I haven’t had challenging things happen – I’ve had plenty.
But, I work every day to focus on the good in my neighborhood, neighbors, family, friends and myself. It’s not always easy, but it feels better than living in a state of fear or worry. In “Happiness for No Reason” Marci Shimoff shows a scale of Fear and Love. Fear = anger, sadness, tension, disappointment, emptiness, self-centeredness and Love = openness, gratitude, forgiveness, peace, hope, JOY, energy, vitality, passion.
The Course in Miracles states there’s always a choice between fear and love but we can only be in one state at a time. As more of us recognize and practice the choice for love, heal ourselves of our fears, worries, doubts and live in trust, hope and love, we and the world that is a reflection of our inside selves, will be a happier and happier place for all.
Feature Article
Women, Money & Power
I love this quote of Suze Orman’s: “If you’re not powerful with your money, you’re not powerful period.” Or, put another way: “If you’re not money savvy, you won’t have the freedom you really desire.”
Let’s talk about why it’s important for women to put their big girl pants on with money & power. Let’s also put your relationship with money in perspective. It’s only been since the 70s that women have been in the workforce in large numbers. Wow – we’ve come a long way baby!! Women are figuring out the whole idea of work, money, what we want to do with our money, and power (the ability to do, act or accomplish something). But often we put ourselves last when it comes to managing their money.
A 2006 Survey commissioned by Allianz Insurance found that 90% of the women respondents rated themselves as feeling insecure when it came to their finances. And, half said ending up as a bag lady had crossed their mind. Yowzah!
Ask yourself these questions to assess where you’re at with your relationship with money and power (the ability to act).
1) Do you know what your checking/saving balances are most days? If not, why not? Good rule of thumb: Take 2 minutes to look at online balances every day.
2) Do you pay your bills on time (assuming you’re working and have income coming in). If not, set up one day a week or two days a month, schedule it in your phone or set up automatic pay plans. Just do it.
3) Do you act in your own best interest with your money?
A) You give to yourself with money in healthy ways – savings, retirement, investing in your business, shopping wisely, (a lot of women piddle money away with Starbucks, unconscious spending or reward or nurture themselves with shopping when what they really need is attention, love, replenishment or other types of self-care.
B) You don’t financially enable family members.
C) You have goals and a plan for what you want to earn, strategies to accomplish that plan and you stay accountable with help from spouse, friend, mentor or coach.
D) You’re working to feel in charge of and manage the money you make. If you need help that’s great – read a book: Suze Orman, Women & Money is a good one - take a class, a workshop, get a bookkeeper, an accountant, a coach. “Money is an extension of ourselves."(Suze)
We need to stop being afraid of it, ignoring it, afraid of failing, feeling ashamed of how we are with our money, keeping our feelings a secret. We need to take our power back from money by putting those big girls pants on and managing it in our own (and our family’s) best interests.
If you have found this article helpful, please forward it onto others.
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