My students often say, "Hurry up and tell me how to market myself and
be a success - I'll figure out the money stuff later." But
ask yourself these simple questions: Do you have
money concerns right now? Does your financial situation rule your career
decisions? Are you racking up too much debt?
This
article will show you how to manage your money in a very simple manner
and then use it as an effective tool for achieving your dreams.
Clarity:
If you lack clarity, you will be confused about what you want, how to
set goals and the necessary steps to achieve them. When multi-billionaire,
Bunker Hunt, was asked during a TV interview how others could become
financially successful, he said that only two things are required.
First, you must decide exactly what it is that you would like to accomplish.
Secondly, you must determine what price you'll have to pay to achieve
it and then resolve to pay that price.
The
price you must pay is the willingness to discard old behaviors that
defeat your purpose. Then you must adopt new behaviors in
order to build a long-term fiscally responsible and abundant business.
I will share with you a simple way to achieve clarity. In order to become
clear, I ask my students to write down their daily expenses in a small
notebook. That means .99 for a pack of gum, $8.49 for lunch, $3.25 for
a latte, and $23.98 for art supplies - all expenditures. They are also
to write down all income and where it came from. At the end of 30 days
I ask them to transfer their numbers to a financial program or a simple
cash flow sheet, which they can adopt to their business needs.
This
is a very simple exercise in good accounting, but it requires discipline,
which is a word many artists would like to have deleted from the dictionary.
Years ago, when I was struggling to find personal direction and develop
my skills; a very wise woman said to me, "The path to freedom is paved
with discipline." I knew she was right, but how I froze with that statement.
I was an artist - a free spirit.
Yet,
when you think about it, you need discipline to grow as an artist. You
take classes and study your craft. You work at perfecting your technique
and developing your unique style. Yet, many artists resist carrying
that same discipline into their business. And that's when the trouble
begins.
The opposite of clarity is operating in the dark or simply being vague.
"I think this automatic withdrawal is taken out around the 12th of the
month, or is it the 21st?" If you are living close to the edge month-to-month,
a simple mistake from lack of clarity will cost you.
To
remain vague regarding your money, keeps you restricted no matter how
much you have. It also keeps you in fear. Do
you ever spend money without knowing what your checking account balance
is or put purchases on credit cards without keeping a running tab on
your spending? It may feel ok or even exciting in the
moment, but without clarity you will eventually get a nagging feeling
in your gut that arises from "not knowing." The nagging feeling will
turn into fear, which will negatively influence your productivity and
your decision-making process.
Cultivate the habit of writing down each expenditure and the amount
and source of your income. The discipline of becoming clear regarding
your finances will give you clarity in all areas of your life. You will
then have a window that allows a detailed picture of your present situation
and the opportunity to improve it. With the fog lifted and accompanying
stressful emotions stilled, you will be able to:
1)
Determine what you want
2)
Set appropriate goals
3)
Achieve them with more ease
4) Plan for specific expenditures
5) Be clear on overhead and factor it into pricing
6) Have more leverage at the negotiation table
7) Balance your art, time and energy effectively
Power: Over two thousand and five hundred years ago Lao Tzu, the famous
Chinese philosopher, said that the world's main problem was that individuals
believed that they were powerless. The same rings true today and it
is at the crux of our problems.
People who yield force or manipulation over others are enslaved by their
own insecurities. Yet, if we believe that they have power over us then
we have lost our personal power.
Does the gallery director or TV producer intimidate you? Do you fear
losing your personal identity as an artist in the market place? Fear
is the most powerful ruler there is or ever will be. It can cause feelings
of helplessness, negativity and inertia and often leads to depression
and disease. Let's look at how to reduce your fear in order to increase
your personal power.
What is fear? Fear stems
from a lack of understanding about the essential nature of life. When
I teach marketing workshops to artists I draw a circle and divide it
into three parts. Above the circle is the word Creativity, which flows
down into the three areas of Art, Marketing and Success. They all identify.
But next I draw a funnel going up and out from the word creativity and
ask them where does their creativity come from? After a perplexed look
on many faces, I'll hear comments such as God, nature, but mostly there
is silence.
What I am asking them to do is to move out of their egos and small little
worlds into a larger picture. I playfully comment about the amazing
fact that we are spinning through space - over six billion of us - and
no one ever falls off. We don't even bump into other planets or stars.
The universe is run with miraculous order. This
is what I want my students to tap into. To align with the order
of the universe is the seat of your personal power. That is the place
of your peace. And where there is peace there is no fear.
There
is only one way to tap into this place of true power and that is by
becoming quiet. The objective then, is to still the fear. But what happens
to you when you have unresolved money issues? You become stressed, emotional
and even more fearful. It becomes difficult to think, produce or even
have fun when you are fearful of your financial future.
Fear comes from not knowing. If you walk around in a financial daze
you will remain fearful. You will make important decisions from fear
- if you have the courage to make them at all. Fear often leads to procrastination
and paralysis, which is definitely not good for business.
The simple act and discipline of writing down
what you spend and what you receive is an act of regaining your personal
power. It moves you
from not knowing to knowing, therefore reduces your fear. It removes
the mind clutter and opens the passage to a higher unity with the grand
order of the universe. It simplifies. It empowers. From
this position of clarity and personal power you can change your life
by:
1) calming your emotions
2) changing your thoughts
3) shifting your priorities
4)
stating your desires
5)
remaining focused
6) letting go in faith
Success:
The word success is very subjective and means different things
to different people. For a moment let's look at it as the attainment
of a goal.
I have known people who have achieved many of their goals and yet remain
disillusioned. A man I once met, named Carl, set out to achieve one
goal - to make lots of money. He accomplished his goal. In-fact, Carl
died a millionaire. Yet, he never truly lived. His sole focus was how
to make more money, but he rarely spent it to help make his life more
enjoyable for himself or others. He hoarded it and deprivation was his
experience. This is an example of being ruled by money. Money to him
was power, success and his security. Carl was very accountable in terms
of keeping track of "every penny." His work was his life and his life
goal was to continually make more money because in his mind, more was
never enough.
So another side of the money equation surfaces. Carl was brought up
in poverty and making money was very important to him, which is fine,
except he carried an impoverished state of mind with him. On the outside
his life looked very successful, but inwardly he felt a lack of self-worth.
He was trapped by his poverty consciousness, which dictated his choices
and limited every area of his life. His lack of awareness kept him enslaved
to constantly making more money from fear of not having enough.
What
is your money history? How do you feel
about money? Do operate from a prosperity or poverty consciousness?
Growing up were you taught how to be a wise steward of your money or
was it never mentioned? Do television, movies and magazines influence
your spending decisions or are you an independent thinker who is not
persuaded by mass media influence? What is success to you in terms of
money? Do you measure your self-worth or others by what's in the bank
account?
When
you let the outer world define your success you're in trouble. Life
is fluid and we go through changes. One minute
we can be on top and the next humbled by circumstances. But that's all
they are - just circumstances in which you have the power to respond
to with intelligence and integrity. With a foundation of clarity,
you have the power to see a solution to every challenge of your life.
And when you've achieved the ability to do so, you are a success.
No matter what your financial situation is you can develop a greater
prosperity consciousness by:
1) Taking charge of your finances
2) Observing your behavior toward money
3)
Changing fear-based thoughts
4)
Sharing what you have, no matter how humble
Strength
in Numbers: Don't
run from money issues. Be willing to confront them and to develop the
discipline of accountability. Take the time to write down your numbers
and the time to make monthly cash flow sheets. Let go of old scripts
that tell you the world of finance is only for accountants and CPA's
and left-brain people! Take charge.
The simple act of writing your numbers down increases your awareness
and gives you the power to make better choices. It also slows you down
and gives you the opportunity to think before impulsively spending more.
If
you are fiscally responsible, yet rarely look at your financial records
because you feel comfortable leaving it to others, change your habit.
Take the time to review your financial situation each month. Look at
where the money is going and how it is coming in. I guarantee that this
simple exercise will shed light on new options, which will show you
how to make more money and how to save more money.
With
your newfound clarity you will be able to make wiser decisions because
you will see how they either move you toward or away from your goals.
It is reported that Walt Disney, on the eve of his death, had a reporter
crawl into bed with him so he could share his vision for Disney World.
During the opening celebration, six years later, another reporter said
to Walt's brother, Roy, "It's too bad Walt did not live to see this."
Roy replied, "Walt saw it first. That is why we are seeing it now."
What is your vision? Help bring it to life and sustain it through your
lifetime through fiscal responsibility. There is strength in numbers.
© Copyright 2006 Susan
Ann Darley. All rights reserved.
COACHING - Take conscious control of your life and live
creatively in the solution.
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