In a previous blog post, I spoke about how standing behind the value of your work and commanding the fees you deserve empowers you and your clients. In a subsequent issue, we then looked at your relationship with money and saw how this correlates directly to your own self worth, by examining the four “Money Mirror Types”:the unconscious, or shadowed, set of beliefs we hold about money and ourselves that drive our behaviors.

Now – we’ll examine the positive side of each Money Mirror Type: the corresponding breakthrough beliefs and actions.

The first Money Mirror Type is “Boundaries”:

Also known as the “Pushover”, we established that the Shadow Belief for this type is “The other person getting what he or she wants is more important than what I want or need.” This shadow belief is fueled by the emotional undercurrent of rejection.

The Breakthrough Belief for this type is: “I don’t have the right to decide for someone else. Only THEY can decide for themselves.”

Breakthrough Actions:

Clients secretly respect people with great boundaries, so if asked for a discount remember that saying “No” empowers your clients to achieve better results – as their respect for you is reinforced.

List your package rates and fees in writing so that you can refer back to this when talking with prospective clients, and use it to help you hold firm to established prices.

The Second Money Mirror Type is “Courage”:

Otherwise known as the “Procrastinator”, the Shadow Belief at work with this type is, “Who I am isn’t special or significant.” This belief is driven by an emotional undercurrent of fear.

The Breakthrough Belief for the Courage Money Mirror Type is, “God created me to stand tall, as a tall poppy in the field”.

Breakthrough Actions:

Commit to raising your fees so they are between the medium and high end of your market. Keeping your fees low actually draws negative attention to you and your business.

Let your quality and high standards of service be what makes you special in your market. Let you fees reflect your standards.

The Third Money Mirror Type is “Deservability”:

Also known as the “Pleaser”, the Shadow Belief at work is, “I am not good enough as I am,” which is driven by an emotional undercurrent of guilt.

The Breakthrough Belief for this type is, “I am perfect right now. Just as I am”.

Breakthrough Actions:

Cut the deliverables for all of your programs in half. Your clients will actually feel relieved (instead of overwhelmed, as they secretly feel now) and you will feel renewed energy, creativity and joy in serving others.

Instead of faulting yourself for not giving or doing more, create a list of how you’ve helped the people you’ve already served. In addition, make it a priority to frequently collect testimonials from clients. Surrounding yourself with reminders like these will help you remember just how valuable you actually are.

The Fourth Money Mirror Type is “Love”:

This type is also known as the “Pretender” whose Shadow Belief is, “People won’t accept or love me if I make more or have more than they do.” This belief comes from an emotional undercurrent of shame.

The Breakthrough Belief for the Love Money Mirror Type is, “I help others by being a leader for wealth, achievement and abundance”.

Breakthrough Actions:

Challenge yourself to speak out publicly about your fees and your success. Be willing to be in the spotlight.

Be willing to stand out by charging more than others. Playing small with your fees benefits no one. You are a natural leader, and your services are distinct. The more you accept this gift you were given, the more you can empower others to step into their brilliance.

I hope these Breakthrough Beliefs and Actions help spur your growth as you move toward a positive relationship with money, and yourself.

It is commonly stated that only 5% of people who start new businesses are successful and profitable. This means that 95% of entrepreneurs are struggling to create financial prosperity.

These statistics really concern me. It is my belief that the more YOU get to do the work you are deeply called to do, the better this world will be. And it is my life's service to help as many people as I can make their passions profitable!

In my last article I spoke about how standing behind the value of your work and commanding the fees you deserve empowers you and your clients. But, before we can authentically stand for the value of our work and command the fees we should, we first have to look at our relationship with money…and work to create one of power and harmony.

I think it is important to note our relationship with money, and what we charge for our services, correlates directly to our own self worth.

So let's look at your relationship with money by looking at what "Money Mirror Type" you are. A Money Mirror Type is the underlying set of beliefs we hold about Money and ourselves, which is unconscious or "shadowed", and drives our behaviors. There are four types.

The first is "Boundaries":

Boundaries, is also known as the Pushover:
· Frequently caves in when asked for a discount
· Doesn't hold firm to prices
· Often backs down after quoting a fee
· Trades Services
· Decides in advance how much someone can afford to pay

· The Emotional undercurrent is Rejection
· The Shadow Belief: "The other person getting what THEY want is more important than I am"
· The Shadow Behavior: Frequently customizes packages, then, in the end, often charges less than original amount

The Second Money Mirror Type is "Courage":

Courage, otherwise known as the Procrastinator
· Rarely, if ever, raises prices
· Fears discussing fees
· Keeps prices at low to medium end of the market
· HIghest level package is still lower than anyone else's
· Doesn't want fees or services to stand out

· Emotional Undercurrent is Fear
· The Shadow Belief: "Who I am isn't special or significant"
· Shadow Behavior: Playing small or being invisible

The Third Money Mirror Type is "Deservability":

Deservability is otherwise known as the Pleaser
· Overloads packages with too many items
· Gives away services without charging
· Faults themselves for not giving or doing more
· Gives more than what is paid for
· Makes themselves too available

· The Emotional Undercurrent is Guilt
· Shadow Belief: "I am not good enough as I am".
· Shadow Behavior: Binge buying of products and services because what they think they know isn't good enough

The Fourth Money Mirror Type is "Love":

Love is also known as The Pretender
· Frequently experiences cycles of feast or famine
· Charging higher fees but often doesn't have any money
· Prone to getting taken advantage of or being over-charged
· Charges less than they know they could so as to not make waves, then gets resentful with themselves

· The Emotional Undercurrent for love is Shame
· Shadow Belief: "People won't accept or love me if I make more and have more than they do"
· Shadow Behavior: Secrecy about how much money you make and have, and the tendency to minimize, pointing out how you got things on sale or that they didn't cost much
· Wanting people to be aware of monetary accomplishments

Recognize yourself in any of these types?

Here's the next step for you to take: Identify which of the four types you resonate with the most, and create at least one new behavior to shift away from your typical pattern.
(Hint: Look at the shadow behavior for the type you chose.)

Stay tuned…in a future article I will address Breakthrough Beliefs and Breakthrough Actions for each of the types!

I have been coaching for the past 17 years. In that time, I have discovered something very important: the higher ones fees are, the more committed the clients are to the engagement, and the more committed the service provider is to serving them in every possible way.

I know it can feel scary when it comes time to quote our fees, whether verbally or in a proposal. We often try (in vain) to predict what someone can or cannot pay, will or will not pay, and then determine our fees based on this. To stand behind your pricing, the pricing you know you should be charging, is a courageous act. It enables your clients to step up to the outcomes they say they are committed to. AND, it is my experience that our clients are more committed when the stakes are higher.

Consider this: money is energy. And that energy is abundant. Money is an exchange of energy between the provider and the recipient. This energy exchange is a sacred act. If you undercharge, you are diminishing the sacredness of this energy exchange. You will not only feel resentful, but you may find your clients do not value the contribution you're making to them.

How many times have you undercharged, given your services away, or over-delivered, and were not appreciated for your efforts? How many times have you bent over backward for a client, only to have them treat you disrespectfully or unappreciatively?

It is my belief that before we can authentically stand for the value of our work and command the fees we know we deserve, we first have to ensure our relationship with money is one of power and harmony. Our relationship with money – and what we charge for our services – directly correlates to our
self worth.

In my next newsletter I will be discussing the 4 Money Types, their impact on our self worth, and what you can do about it!

As I mentioned, I look for inspiration everywhere. I believe all growing beings need mentors, coaches or teachers to help bring out our best and prod us beyond what we thought possible.    

Several months ago I watched the Michael Jackson Documentary, "This is It". If you haven't seen it, I highly encourage you to! Beyond the incredible dancing, (which I love!) I was in awe of how Michael Jackson, in a very gentle manner, acted as a mentor to his dancers; encouraging them to excel beyond what they thought were their limits.

But the real beauty of his mastery was that he did not inspire with words. He moved people to take big leaps, (literally and figuratively) simply by being. By allowing himself to uninhibitedly express his ever-expanding greatness, he inspired those who had the privilege of working with him to do the same. Time and again in this film, Michael and his artistic collaborators talk about stretching the boundaries and creating new experiences for the audience, ones that seem impossible and have never been attempted before.

My observation was that Michael Jackson's genius came from being connected to "Source". This enabled him to constantly be in the moment, divinely guided. It reminds me of a quote from Maya Angelou "It is this belief in a power larger than myself and other than myself which allows me to venture into the unknown and even the unknowable."

It was a profound experience to witness Michael Jackson's mentorship demonstrated as love. It was also a wonderful reminder that coaching works best when you live what you teach, as he so elegantly did. It is only when you are truly being who you are that you can share that divine inspiration with others.

I intend to watch this movie over and over again. I am in deep gratitude that I had the opportunity to learn from such an amazing legend. Thank you, Michael.

"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."
~Rumi

Happy Valentine's Day!

I really LOVE the perspective and wisdom that Rumi brings to the subject of love. It interrupts our tendency to project love as being something outside of ourselves, or a feeling that only certain people can elicit this feeling in us.

Rumi challenges us to take responsibility for our projections and look within to dissolve the defenses we have built to guard ourselves from experiencing love. Love is a place we come from; love is who we really are. And as Rainer Maria Rilke so profoundly states, "For one human being to love another: that is perhaps the most difficult of our tasks; the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation."

Much love and blessings to you,

Rita