Tell Me What You Want—What You Really, Really Want

So many clients come to see me to change the outcomes for their businesses. My question to them (invoking The Spice Girls song “Wannabe”) is “Tell me what you want—what you really, really want.” Many of them include in their answer some variation on the theme of having more money. While money isn’t usually the only thing, it’s often part of the solution for them.

 

Does more money equate to more happiness?

People often assume that having more money will solve many of their problems. Depending on their situation, having more money may indeed relieve stress over meeting financial obligations. But most of my clients are thinking bigger than this month’s bills—they think having more money will make them feel successful and/or happy. And although there have been many studies showing that the correlation between having a bigger bank account with happiness is only true up to a certain threshold, a study at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania had different results.

Michele W. Berger wrote an article for Penn Today called, Money matters to happiness—perhaps more than previously thought. In this UofP study, Matthew Killingsworth found that the more money a person makes, the happier they reported feeling. One of his conclusions was that money gives people more of a sense of control over their lives. Interestingly, another finding was that people who equated money with success were less happy than those who did not.

 

What does money mean to you?

This article fascinated me because for years I’ve asked my clients what money represents to them. Some find my question annoying—they just want more money. But most are willing to reflect on what the money actually means to them. Once they have identified the significance of having more moola, we work on their money beliefs. It’s not the actual number of digits in your bank account balance or how many pieces of paper money you have stashed in your mattress—these just symbolize something else to you.

 

What do you really want?

The answers my clients give are revealing. For many, money means financial freedom—the ability to do what they want, when they want. For others, having money brings the security of knowing that they will be comfortable for the rest of their lives and not fearful of spending their last years in poverty. Some want to provide a legacy for their families, and others have goals related to charitable giving. But all of my clients realized that their goals weren’t really about the amount of money, but rather the feeling or goal they sought.

 

What can you do about it?

Once my clients identify the feelings they want about money, we create corresponding belief statements and “install” those in their subconscious minds. Because perception is what makes the difference in your experience. Are you curious about the types of statements that might be installed in your subconscious mind? Some examples are “my financial future is secure” or “I am free to choose my perfect job.” Believing the new statements does two things:

• Reduces stress associated with money; and
• Removes barriers you subconsciously put in place to prevent the very outcome you want.

Are you ready to upgrade your subconscious operating system?

If you have been focusing on achieving a financial goal, spend a little time thinking about what emotion or experience you expect once you achieve it. And if you discover that you have some underlying beliefs that are limiting you, I’ll be happy to help you change those. You can book a session here.