Why Financial Freedom is NOT About Money

We're excited to welcome Dr. Raquel Muller to the MOB blog as she shares insights about money mindset! Dr. Muller is also a MOBCON speaker. Learn more about her at the end of this blog post.

Have you ever thought: “I just want to make enough money so I never have to worry about it again,”  or “I’ll be financially set when I earn X dollars a month/year?”    

While the idea of a certain, magical sum making your financial concerns go away is certainly a seductive idea-- and one that I confess holding on to for most of my life-- its fundamental flaw is that it makes your wellbeing, peace of mind, and even your worth, contingent upon an external condition: i.e. how much money is in your bank account.  

The flaws in your money mindset

So why is this focus on a certain amount of income a problem?  First, when you make your wellbeing in any area of your life contingent upon external factors-- e.g. amount in the bank, where you live, people’s approval, social media likes, etc.-- it means that you are vulnerable to feelings of deprivation, stress, inadequacy, even emptiness, the second that those things are no longer there.

You and I know that we cannot control things outside of ourselves, so why place our wellbeing in the hands of circumstances that we cannot control and which could change at any moment?   

Second, making your security, wellbeing, or worth about how much money you have-- or any other external circumstance for that matter--  is part of a lack or scarcity mindset, that is, the belief that there is only so much to go around, and that people, things, circumstances or luck control your abundance.    

What this does is that it leads to feeling constantly  worried about the possibility of losing those things upon which you’re basing your wellbeing. 

Think about this: a person can have billions of dollars put away, but if they are in a lack mindset it won’t matter, because they will always be looking over their shoulder, wondering when they’re going to lose it all.  And that anxious, constant looking over your shoulder is the opposite of freedom.

Another problem with making your financial freedom about a certain amount of money is that it puts you in what my mentor, Felicia Searcy, calls “get” energy.  You focus on what you want to “get,” e.g. more money, more customers, more followers, etc., rather than showing up in a spirit of service.  Anytime we are in “get” energy we make our work and other activities, for the time being,  about what we can “get” rather than about what we can offer to better people’s lives.  This can lead to a certain vibe of desperation as we operate our businesses.

A Useful Analogy

There is a powerful and useful analogy in relation to this.  Using an amount of money to judge your financial security is akin to putting a lit match under a thermometer and expecting it to increase the temperature of the room.  Obviously, with a lit match under it, the thermometer will show a higher temperature reading momentarily, but the second the flame is pulled away, the thermometer reading will go back to status quo.  Further, the increased temperature reading of the thermometer does not in any way change the temperature of the room!  

In other words, you may experience a surge of money or material possessions at a particular point in time, but this does not provide true financial freedom or security in the long run.

How Do You Find True Financial Freedom?

True financial freedom and peace of mind come from cultivating abundance from the inside out.   Abundance from the inside out means deepening your relationship with Universal Source, God, Higher Power, or whatever you choose to call this creative force.   When you learn to see yourself as the divine being that you are, when you know that the power that created you supplies all your needs, when you know that you are loved and worthy regardless of the circumstances around you, this is when you will get to experience freedom, regardless of how much money is actually in your account.  

Also, when you know yourself as an abundant being, you can change “get” energy, knowing that as you serve your community with your talents and gifts, as you do the work that brings you most alive, the money will follow. And you will know that nothing and no one can take away your good. 

A Personal Story

Becoming abundant from the inside is not a once-and-done thing, but a process whereby we deepen our relationship with Source.  Personally, I have to keep coming back to my inner abundance to override the “get” energy  I spoke about. I describe my experience below. Like any other business owner, I have operating expenses in my business.  These include my investing in expert coaching to help me grow as a person and as a business woman.  While my financial obligations don’t fluctuate much, my revenue does fluctuate from month to month.  

In the past, I would worry about not having enough money, and made decisions based on how much was in my accounts.  But since I’ve been working on my own money mindset and awareness, I have been practicing letting go of this worry,  trusting that I have plenty of money to meet my expenses and obligations, as well as accomplish my goals, and help others. 

As a result, I have seen money come to me just at the time when I need it, sometimes even from unexpected sources!  What this does is remind me that I am loved and well supplied by the Universe.  This helps me to continue offering my coaching services without attaching myself to whether someone says “yes” or “no.”  

Most important, I am learning to be grateful for this season in my life and business because it is helping me transform into a stronger, more confident, more remarkable version of the woman I am today. 

There is no doubt in my mind that I will generate the money I desire as I continue to grow my business, but even now, I feel incredible peace in knowing that my abundance comes, not from any specific amount of money, not from any person,  nor a set of circumstances.  I am abundant right now because I am connected to an infinite source that holds nothing back.  That is freedom! 

It’s Your Turn! 

My invitation for you is that you seek to connect more deeply with your Source, so that you, too, will know your own abundance and freedom, more and more each day!

​In this spirit, I am pleased to offer an upcoming free masterclass called “Prosperity Mindset Skills for Mompreneurs,” where I will share more in depth about these concepts that have changed my life and which I know can change yours, too! 

There has never been a more challenging yet exciting time to be a mother and an entrepreneur. As a psychologist, entrepreneur, wife, and mother of two, Dr. Raquel Muller understands first hand how self-criticism, unrealistic expectations, and insufficient support can cause entrepreneurial moms to experience a disproportionate amount of overwhelm, guilt, and self-doubt, causing them to quit on their dreams and not live their full potential.

As "The Mompreneur Success Specialist," Dr. Raquel helps ambitious mom entrepreneurs develop the mindset, self-awareness, inner strength, confidence, vision, and supportive community that they need to get out of their own way, avoid self-sabotage, and create, not only a successful business, but also a fulfilling, balanced, purposeful and happy life, while also modeling this for their kids!

Connect on Facebook, Instagram, or Dr. Muller's website.

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