A friend recently shared with me that she was ready to have a come to Jesus moment with her boss.
You see, she’s been working for him for several years and has taken on more responsibility, and she doesn’t feel like her compensation has increased accordingly.
Have you ever experienced something like that? Or how about in your business? Maybe you’ve been stuck at one specific level for several months (or even years). You can’t seem to get past that number, no matter what you do!
Anyone else experienced this? How do we combat it so we can get to that next level of MORE money?
There are practical things you can do of course. Like raise rates, cut expenses, diversify, ask for a pay raise etc. And those all have their place. But the thing that is going to get you the MOST bang for your buck is changing your mindset. Expanding your comfort zone so that you can receive more money. Listed below are a few of my favorite tools to help you get there.
1 – Get clear on how much more you really want. It’s like we have to be able to see where we are going before we can pick the road to get there.
If you just say you want more money, it isn’t specific enough. More money could be the penny that you walked over on the sidewalk today. Ha!
Instead, get really clear on an amount that would make you happy when you have that come to Jesus with your boss.
Or
Figure out what would feel really good to sell your products or services for instead of what you are charging now.
Clarity is king when it comes to that easy flow with money!
2 – Ask for what you want! Once you have clarity around how much more money you want, it’s time to start putting it out there.
I have a friend whose birthday is this month. She has made a list of all the luxurious things she wants and she put that list on social media. She is letting everyone know exactly what she wants. She is even sharing her Venmo and PayPal info. Unashamedly. Unabashedly. Freely.
Why is she doing that? Because she is open to receiving from wherever the money comes from and she knows the power of the ask! And guess what? She is receiving money. People are contributing to help her reach her desires. They aren’t being coerced or forced. They are freely choosing to do it.
I’ll admit it would be super scary for me. But in all honesty, it’s exactly part of the process to move ourselves to that next money level! We can’t be afraid to put it out there.
- Raise prices for your goods or services.
- Ask your employer for that pay increase you know you deserve.
- Tell your friends and family exactly what you want.
3 – Work through an upper limit problem. One thing that can inhibit our income potential is hitting an upper limit.
An upper limit is the highest level of good things that you can take before your subconscious kicks in to keep you safe.
- Have you ever gotten sick when you got a new contract or customer?
- How about an unexpected expense hitting just when you get a bonus?
- Or possibly feeling super depressed right after you got a pay raise?
All of these could mean that you are hitting your upper limit of happiness/money/goodness in your life.
If you find this sort of thing happening, it is probably time to do some mindset work to allow yourself to fully shift into that new level.
- Allow your body to feel what it feels with kindness, understanding and without judgment. Don’t try to force yourself to feel good, but feel all the feelings whether physical or mental. Sit with them. I promise if you do allow yourself to sit with the discomfort, you are upping your threshold.
- Another thing you can do is work on allowing yourself to receive. If you are at heart a giver (and most women are), you may need to expand your ability to receive good things. That could be like:
- Ask your significant other to bring you a glass of water even though you are completely capable of getting it yourself.
- Take a friend up on their offer to watch your kids.
- Give your assistant or co-worker some of your tasks when they ask what they can do to help.
It’s okay to take baby steps. Every little tiny moment of discomfort or every little goodness you allow yourself to receive, resets your upper limit and opens you up to receiving more money!
4 – Look for pivotal moments in your life and what was happening in your bank account when they happened. I have one final thought about income plateaus to leave you with. Our relationship with money is often shaped by pivotal events in our lives. Maybe you’ve experienced a divorce, a job loss, a major illness or other life-changing moment. Those types of moments often have a major impact on our relationship with money.
That impact can stay with us for years and shape our current actions and emotions around money. If you are experiencing an income plateau, I encourage you to explore those pivotal moments in your life and see if you can see a connection to your current money situation.
Here is an example of a pivotal moment in my own life. About seven years into my accounting career, I got laid off from my accounting job. The company decided to centralize its finance department and my job was being eliminated. This moment impacted both my trust in myself as well as my trust in others (i.e., my employer). I began to doubt if I could actually trust myself to make money.
Even though I had made the decision when I was 15 year old not to struggle with money (read more about that here), the lay-off triggered me into doubting myself. But also because of that decision, I was able to shake off the doubt and land a new job before the lay-off actually happened.
Awareness is a key piece to improving your relationship with money. So, allow yourself to really look for those pivotal moments in your money story. Not only will you strengthen your relationship with money now, but if you experience an income plateau, you’ll be better able to identify what might be keeping you stuck.
No matter whether you are an employee or an entrepreneur, it is possible for you to have more money. An income plateau that is bothering you is just an indication that you are ready for the next step. You just have to be willing to uncover what is blocking you from receiving more money.
Sherry Parks, CPA, is a Money Mindset Coach who helps women escape feeling trapped by their finances. She is passionate about helping women change mindset, emotions and actions regarding money, so that they learn to keep what they have and generate more.
Check out her 5 Steps to a Better Money Story workbook or join her women-only Facebook group More Than Enough Money Sisterhood.