Five Ways That You’re Blocking Abundance
Several conversations over the past few months got me worked into a tizzy. In my aroused state, I started making notes on my phone. I had so much I wanted to say, and I did not want to forget any of it. When I get into these modes, it can be like a channeled reading. If I don’t write it down, there’s a damn good chance I won’t remember it later. Inspiration takes over.
Fair warning, this information is for those who are ready to make a change. It might take some difficult introspection and uncomfortable curiosity, but you need to know that the journey to abundance is worth it.
Here are five common ways that people unknowingly block abundance.
1. You make it hard for people to pay you.
I wanted to start with this one because it’s the one I see frequently. It can look like not having a website, delivering illegible invoices, refusing to use a service that charges credit card fees, or not even having a PayPal/Venmo/CashApp link.
Practical Tip: If you want people to give you money, make it easy for them to give you money! If you don’t have a bank account, open one. You can open with as little as $25. Then connect a cash-receiving app to that account. My preference for everyday transactions is Venmo because it doesn’t charge its users fees. I prefer PayPal for sending invoices.
Next-Level Tip: add your payment link to your social media profile. If you have multiple URLs, create a free account on LinkTree and compile them in one place. Again, the goal is to make it easy for me to pay you!
2. You don’t talk about your offerings or services.
Another prevalent block is not taking yourself or your talents seriously. It can look like not posting about your business, not marketing your offerings, not telling people you’re looking for work, not having a website, or not even having an up-to-date resume.
Practical Tip: If you want someone to hire you, make it easy for me to hire you!
If you’re an entrepreneur and do not have a website, then create a website. There are numerous ways to purchase a domain name and set up a simple website without spending a ton of cash. You can perfect it along the way, and you can re-do it as many times as you want. Just start somewhere!
If you’re not an entrepreneur, get on LinkedIn, build out a gorgeous profile, and create a custom URL. For excellent tips on getting hired, watch this presentation from Mackenzie Hanes, the Director of Career Development and Academic Advising at Midway University.
Next-Level Tip: aim to post about your offerings at least once a week on social media. You can also advertise by promoting one of your posts. Include your website link and tell people how to hire you. Again, the goal is to make it easy for me to hire you!
3. You’re not charging enough for your services.
Perhaps you’re not charging for your services at all! It is entirely normal to feel super weird about charging people for something you could do for free. However, free doesn’t pay your bills. If your goal is to do what you love for a living, you need to start getting comfortable charging money for what you love to do.
The other side of the coin is you expect not to pay full price for other people’s (friend/family) services.
Practical Tip: shop around and find out what other people are charging for the same services. Then, charge the same amount for the same service! If you don’t feel comfortable with the same dollar amount as someone with years of experience, start somewhere.
Next-Level Tip: raise your prices. Yes, it will feel weird at first. Do it anyway.
Not an entrepreneur? Ask for what you deserve (and need to survive) from your employer. At best, you’ll get a raise. At worst, you won’t, and you can start looking for a job that values you more.
4. You talk negatively about money or refuse to talk about it at all.
Our beliefs around money can make or break us. There are entire books dedicated to an abundance mindset, so I’ll list several I recommend here.
– You are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero
– The Illusion of Money by Kyle Cease
– It’s Not Your Money by Tosha Silver
– The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles
– Money is Love by Barbara Wilder
– Financial Aromatherapy by Lora Sasiela, M.S.
Believing money is “the root of all evil,” saying, “money doesn’t grow on trees,” thinking that it’s hard to make money, etc., will work against you in a myriad of ways.
Practical Tip: pick a book above and read it. Take it to heart and make small changes in the way you talk about money.
Next-Level Tip: talk about money with people in your life. It gets easier with practice. Focus on using affirmative words, not on complaining.
5. You give away your power.
Last but not least, you’re giving your power away to someone or something outside of you. You’re making excuses about why you don’t have enough money or who is keeping you from making more money. You expect something outside yourself to change before your life improves.
Newsflash: no one is coming to save you.
Even if the government forgave your student loans, forced companies to forgive all your credit card debt, and gave you a basic income check every single month, you would still find a way not to have enough money. If you received a six-figure insurance settlement, you would still be broke in two years. If you won the lottery, you would end up worse off than you are right now. Why? Because it’s your daily habits and money mindset that got you into this position. Nothing outside yourself will change what is inside of you.
Practical Tip: call your power back. Close your eyes and say, “I call my power back from anywhere I’ve given it away.” (You can also listen to this free download to clear your solar plexus chakra.) That’s step one. Next, get curious. You’re used to passing the buck off to someone else, blaming them for your position. Now you have to take response-ability and respond to the reality of your situation. What do you need to change to improve your situation?
Next-Level Tip: team up with someone who has been through this before. Just because no one is coming to save you doesn’t mean you need to go it alone. Find someone that inspires you and reach out. Create a friendship that is based on mutually beneficial goals and feels expansive. Work together and hold each other accountable.
A note on privilege.
I’m not a deluded enough white girl to think that we all have the same starting point when it comes to our journey to abundance. We all have unique challenges to face, and some are easier to overcome than others. When I talk about calling back your power, I’m referring to how you disown your responsibility and, therefore, your ability to affect change in your life.
I am not suggesting that there aren’t forces working against you based on your age, race, socioeconomic status, gender, sexuality, education, religion, etc. The systemic issues we face will continue to dissolve as more people wake up to the reality of their existence. We will see the shift on a larger scale only after we alchemize it individually.
If you made it this far, congratulations! You’re on your way to increasing abundance in your life. Now that you’re aware of common pitfalls, you can be proactive in avoiding them. Having an abundance mindset is a practice, so be gentle with yourself. Your life is unfolding beautifully!
