One thing is for certain: Most people want money. If they have a little, they want more. If they have a lot, it’s not enough. Our society’s quest to make a dollar is insatiable. So what’s the secret? The answer lies within: Each person’s key to financial freedom is as unique as the individual’s relationship to his or her own outlook on wealth.
Jacquette Timmons, CEO of Sterling Investment Management, had her “aha!” moment with her business coach 20 years ago. Timmons wasn’t financially and emotionally fulfilled by only managing high net worth individuals’ portfolios at a company that she had started. Her business coach listened as her story unfolded and said, “I don’t understand the problem. You already have the answer.”
“I wasn’t noticing that the business from my investment education clients could be the most fulfilling part of my company,” says Timmons, who was already conducting workshops for AT&T and dozens of other major corporations. “In my mind educating was something that I loved and did on the side to supplement my investment management business. My coach helped me recognize that 80 percent of my revenue was from educating clients.” This insight addressed her concern and changed her company’s primary focus.
Timmons, a former Fortune 500 executive who’s been in financial services for 26 years, says that all issues with wealth come from an incident in our history, like what we saw growing up or otherwise. Reprogramming your language and reassessing your friends may help clear your energy and attract wealth. “Instead of saying, ‘I cant afford something,’ try saying, ‘Buying that is not a priority for me right now,’” says Timmons. “It means the same thing, but that subtle difference shifts the emotional trigger. Instead of triggering a ‘defeatist’ emotion, you trigger an emotion of ‘having it later.’”
Examining the behaviors of the five people that you spend the most time with can have a significant effect on your relationship with money too. “Are they goal-oriented and encouraging?” asks Timmons. “The people in our inner circle have significant impact and influence on us.”
She adds, “It’s easy to see that buying a pair of Manolo Blahniks, when you can’t pay your rent, is wrong. It’s not so easy to see that you should pack your lunch a few days a week, versus buying 10 dollar lunches, when you’re in a real bind. One example seems so crazy and the other doesn’t when actually they both have the same financial implications.”
Practicing these tips will shift your financial outlook. If it gets worse before it gets better, take it from Timmons — stay calm and reevaluate. “Go a bit deeper by looking at your behavior patterns and choices. This is how you get insight on what you need to do differently. If what you are experiencing financially isn’t what you want, you completely have the power to change it.”