Helen, 

Yesterday, I shared what happened when less money was coming into my business than I needed to cover my expenses.

I knew I needed to work on my courses, promote my work, and create new income.

Then financial overwhelm set in.

And once my nervous system became activated, my mind had plenty to say about what was happening.

If you have been with me for a while, you have probably heard me talk about one of my financial parts.

Her name is Scarcity Sarah.

Scarcity Sarah watches what is happening with my money and predicts what could go wrong.

There is not enough money.

You are never going to earn enough.

What if you end up homeless?

She can take what is happening today and carry me into the most frightening version of my future.

She also explains why she believes the situation is happening.

You should be further ahead.

You made the wrong decisions.

Maybe you cannot make this business work.

Maybe you are never going to figure this out.

Psychologist Martin Seligman and his colleagues use the term explanatory style to describe the habitual way we explain why difficult things happen to us.

Your mind does more than observe your financial situation. It creates an explanation for it. Then it predicts how long the problem will last, how much of your life it will affect, and what it means about you.

As an entrepreneurial woman, one quiet sales week may lead your mind to say:

People do not want what I offer.

I am terrible at marketing.

My business is failing.

I am never going to create consistent income.

As a professional woman, being passed over for a promotion may become:

They do not value me.

I should have done more.

I am never going to earn what I need.

It is too late for me to change careers.

The explanation can sound like a statement of fact, especially when your body is already responding to financial stress.

This is why becoming aware of your financial self-talk matters.

If Scarcity Sarah helped me look at the facts, prepare for a possibility, and choose a useful next step, I would appreciate her contribution.

Most of her predictions leave me frightened and discouraged. Sometimes they make me want to work frantically. Other times, I do not want to do anything at all.

One way to recognize your financial inner critic is to notice what happens inside you while it is speaking.

An accurate financial observation may feel uncomfortable. Yet it can still help you understand the situation and decide how to respond.

The financial inner critic leaves you feeling condemned by the situation. It turns a financial concern into an explanation of who you are and what will always be possible for you.

So, Helen, what has your mind been saying about your financial situation?

What is it predicting?

How is it judging you?

How is it explaining why this is happening?

And when you listen to that voice, what happens inside you?

Do you feel clearer and more able to respond?

Or do you feel frightened, ashamed, discouraged, frozen, or unable to act?

You can begin by hearing the commentary.

That is what my mind is predicting.

That is the explanation my inner critic has created.

That explanation is affecting how I feel and what I believe I can do next.

A thought can be present without being placed in charge of your financial future.

If your financial mental chatter has become so loud that you are struggling to hear your own wisdom, I invite you to book a complimentary Financial Ease Clarity Call with me.

We will identify the financial situation creating the stress, examine what your mind and body are doing in response, and clarify the next step that could help you move forward.

Book your complimentary Financial Ease Clarity Call

Standing for your greatness,

Helen

P.S. Start here: Download the Financial Stress Audit and identify the financial situation activating your stress. Pay particular attention to the thoughts, judgments, predictions, and explanations that appear. If you choose to book a clarity call, bring your results, and we will use what you discovered as the starting point for our conversation.

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