It’s always interesting for me to watch how people pay for their yoga classes and retreats. Some people pay waaaaay in advance, and in full. Some, late, every time.
I used to think that it reflected how they value their yoga, and maybe it does. But it also seems to be a measure of how people value themselves. If they have enough cash on hand to pay for things they want up front, that means they are taking care of themselves financially.
They know their worth.
This is something I have had to REALLY work on: it’s quite deeply buried for many of us, certainly for me. How we relate to money reflects very accurately how we see our worth in the world.
Now, it’s not really about how much you earn, although that’s a factor of course. It’s more about how you spend and save.
When I was young, I seemed to consider it a personal challenge to spend my bank account to zero every time there was money in it, even when I had rent due the next week. Seems ridiculous, doesn’t it?
I was the one always paying late for stuff I wanted, because I never had any money. And I never had any money because I quite literally felt compelled to get rid of it the minute I had it.
It’s taken a lot of self-examination to figure out why & stop this pattern.
Wanna know why?
For me, money=power.
And, as I was growing up, the people who had power (like my parents) misused it.
So, as a kid, I subconsciously decided that in order to not misuse power, I should avoid having any, and that meant making sure I never had any money.
Yeah.
I know.
This week, I am going to be featuring resources and people who helped me know my worth, and behave accordingly.
I’d love to hear how you relate to your money & worth:
Do you have patterns like I did?
Do you know your worth and treat yourself accordingly?
Moving from Stability: Understanding the Pelvis in Posture (Online workshop)
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Very wise post!
You inspired me and I mentioned you in this post:
http://phitchicks.blogspot.com/2012/08/money-and-power.html
THank you!
Thanks Angela! I’m trotting over to read your post now!
Nadine, this really resonates with me: linking money to power, and subconsciously not wanting to be like the people who had power over me when I was young. You have given me a lot to think about. Not only do I have a hard time saving, I take a long time to cash my checks and hand in receipts for reimbursement.
Instead of berating myself for poor money management (as I have done in the past), I am going to think of positive ways to be powerful, and own my power and money!
Thank you for an inspiring post!
You are WELCOME, Persephone! I recommend working with Nona Jordan too. SHe really helped me.
Its funny, I’ve been thinking of writing a post about my relationship to money… consider it forthcoming with a link to this post.
Looking forward to reading it, love!