As the end of 2017 draws near, brewing in the back of our minds are fantasies about how we will make next year the best yet. A common thought: How are we going to make more time for the things that really matter? I've been a stay-at-home-mom, a 40-hour a week working mom, and everything in between. Sometimes, it's the in between stuff that gets brushed under the rug as unimportant. We label them as pipe dreams, maybe even a “hobby.” But it's the side hustle that we need to celebrate.
I realized this most after reading Jen Sincero's latest New York Times Bestseller "You Are a Badass at Making Money." This book is important for everyone, but especially mothers. Whether working a traditional job or not at all, I think all moms are entrepreneurs at heart. We all have that desire, somewhere within us, to run a business and to succeed financially in a non-traditional setting, so to speak. A setting that allows time freedom. Maybe we want to do it for ourselves or maybe we want to show our children we are more than “just a Mom.” For me, I want to show my eight-year-old, Type 1 Diabetic daughter that girls can do anything. I want my infant son to be raised knowing that girls can do anything. So what is the first step?
According to Sincero, the key to getting rich is simple: Change your thoughts. Manifesting riches may seem like hocus-pocus to some, but Sincero harnesses readers with success stories that aren’t just her own, but those of her coaching clients. As a broke 40-something freelance writer, Sincero was sick of earning mere pennies for her hours of writing. Turning to her own life coach, she was advised to change her mindset around money and to visualize what being rich looked and felt like. Within 48 hours, her new coaching business took off, gaining clients who were willing to pay thousands of dollars for Sincero’s help. In her down-to-earth, humorous style, Sincero encourages her followers to believe that the Universe has your back when it comes to wealth.
According to Sincero, a person’s income can drastically increase if negative thoughts around money are removed. Rather than thinking money is the root of all evil, practice gratitude for the ways it enriches our lives, even if it’s something small like buying a cup of coffee. Beyond the appreciation, Sincero tells us to instill mantras to remind we are deserving of money and capable of making it, regardless of who we are or what we do at this very moment. With end-of-chapter exercises, this self-help book is designed to make readers grab paper and pen and as Sincero repeats: “get crystal clear about what it is you want.” The Universe needs specifics, she remarks. When I saw Sincero speak in Portsmouth, New Hampshire this fall, the audience had the opportunity to ask questions. Knowing her statement about getting focused, I asked her “What if we have all kinds of interests and tend to bounce back-and-forth between the ideas?” Without hesitation, she said, “You must pick one.” She went on to suggest letting the next idea be your reward for completing the first. But again, the Universe won’t know where to direct its energy if you’re all over the place (I’ve been so guilty of this).
Additionally, Sincero writes, in order to get results using manifestation, she claimed to erase from her vocabulary words like "want" and "need" and instead focused on these desires as if they’re already happening in life. In other words, attach emotions to your success. The visualization has been key for me. As a freelance writer, there can be weeks with minimal work or work that isn’t ideal and weeks where I don’t know how I’m going to balance everything on my to-do list with my parenting role. Being able to open the journal where I’ve completed the exercises from Sincero’s book has been key in moving past roadblocks and self-doubt. Not a mom? The book is worth a read even if to only to remove the hush-hush that our society puts around the topic of money.
Erinne Magee
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