What you believe about money and how you relate and interact with it affects every aspect of your life and business.
A belief is simply a story that you’ve told yourself so many times that you think it’s the truth. So, for us all to live a vital, vibrant and thriving life, the story we are telling ourselves and choosing to believe about money needs to be uncovered, understood, and possibly re-written.
What is money to you?
Let’s dive straight in to see what money means to you, what it represents, and what feelings it evokes inside of you. Remember, there is no right or wrong here, we are all on a journey of understanding.
For some, money can represent freedom, opportunity, or fun. For others, money can equal stress, inferiority, lack of control, or even… the route of all evil.
The truth is money is none of those things. The associations that we all unconsciously attach to money are (like so many things) based on our understanding, experiences, and environment. After all, money is just paper, metal, coding, and digital numbers on a computer screen. As accountants and bookkeepers, your clients look to you for guidance on all things money and you have the greatest viewpoint to support your clients to create a better money story. Let’s go deep for a minute….
Money is not the only inanimate object that is blamed for all that is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ in the world. We blame technology, politics, social media, cars, sugar… the list goes on and on. All of these things that are created and used by human hands are considered by many at different points in life to be the ‘root to and of all evil’. Those who live below the line too often point to the devastation and destruction they bring.
The same vitriol can be laid at fire, water, and air. For example, the destruction caused by wildfires or tsunamis; leaving heartbreak and turmoil in their wake as they ravage great stretches of bush or destroy whole villages. This is nature at her wildest extremes. Yes, these elements can destroy but they are also vital to life. When the earth’s elements are harnessed and allowed to be and work in harmony with each other, life is created, people are kept warm and fed, birds take flight and our imagination and creativity can harness this raw and natural power.
2020 has caused us all to pause and evaluate in a way most of us have never had to. What really matters in this world? How does money fit in with our priorities? How do we ensure our money story doesn’t interfere with being the person we want to be? It’s not money that is the challenge or problem we need to understand and change; it's our association to it. The value we place on it and, more often than not, the value and worth we place on ourselves. We have allowed money to be the benchmark for the value of all things we hold dear. We assume the more we have, spend or save, the better we will be as people.
As advisors to business, do we assume that clients are always in the pursuit of more money, more growth, and more success? What does success even look like? Pausing to understand what truly drives your clients is a powerful and thought-provoking conversation to have. Uncovering their money story in the greater context of their business and personal goals could be critical to success – however they define that.
At The Gap, we provide our members with all they need to market, deliver, and monetise advisory services to support your business clients beyond compliance. Book a demo with our sales team to understand how The Gap can help you create better money stories for your clients.
"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest."
-Benjamin Franklin