5 Key Money Areas

January 21, 2016 By

In last week’s blog asked several thought-provoking questions such as what are you willing to do or not do to make more money.  You might think you know those answers, but do you really?

Most women and men struggle with their relationship with money and often struggle as to how to create and keep more money.

This stems from many things.  It stems from being uncomfortable talking about money, and if you are a business owner you may hesitate to ask for the sale.  It stems from feeling guilty or shameful around money, under valuing your worth, putting off paying or managing bills, not standing in your power with money and/or limiting beliefs around money.

The good news is that money is very simple to master.  You do that by having a strategy for knowing how to control your money, valuing yourself and standing in your power with money… with anyone in any situation.

We’ll be getting more into that later, but in the meantime I want to share with you 5 Key Money Areas:

  1. Forgiveness
  2. Boundaries
  3. Action
  4. Empowerment
  5. Mindset

Right now, on a scale of 1-10 rate yourself in each of the five listed above, 1 being “I need help” and 10 being “I’m awesome”.

If you rated yourself anything less than an 8, don’t be discouraged.  As I mentioned, most women and men struggle with their relationship with money and often struggle as to how to create and keep more money.  What this means for you is that there is a gap that keeps you from realizing your full potential when it comes to money.

Next time we’ll talk more about the 5 Key Areas and also coming up you will have the opportunity to take an awesome quiz that will help you really understand where your gap is so that you will know how you can increase your self-worth and net worth. Soon you’ll be able to answer without a doubt the all-important question of “What are you willing to do make more money?”

Realize your full potential when it comes to #money!

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Filed Under: Business Mastery, Money Habits, Personal Development Tagged With: , , , ,

Do you have an Exit Strategy?

September 25, 2014 By

Problem solvingIf you said yes, then you are more than likely someone who is fantastic at planning and flexibility.  If you said “I don’t even know what you mean,” then let me explain.  An exit strategy is something that you put into place long before you need it. 

Before I left my corporate job, I knew I was not going to another job but to start my own coaching business.  So my exit strategy included saving as much money as I could to grow my bank account to where I would feel comfortable paying the bills without having the consistent income coming in that I had with a job.  I saved enough money to be able to live my life as I began building my business.

I also paid off any credit card balances, my car, and any other financial obligations that I had.  I made sure that I was solvent before I jumped ship.  I knew exactly what I needed to have and to do in order to leave my job and take the leap of faith into being an entrepreneur.  Oh and that included knowing that I needed training in order to embark on my great big adventure of being a coach and helping others live really fabulous lives.  I had my ducks in a row (you may have heard the saying).  That is what I mean by an exit strategy.

We all need exit strategies.  Gone are the days of security.  One never knows what will happen around the corner.  You might work for a company for a long time and then one day BAM, you get laid off and you learn the company is bankrupt.  You didn’t have anything to do with that but you are, nonetheless, the victim of someone else’s choices.  But do you have to be?

Not if you have an exit strategy.  If you are always looking to take care of yourself and your livelihood, and making sure that you are on top of what it is you will do next, then you are never a victim.

I use an amazing Energy Level Assessment with my clients and find that many are constantly living in a Level 1 which is that of victim.  They are living by the effect of what goes on in their lives, not the cause.  No wonder they feel depressed, sad, and think “Why bother?”  They are like a rock at the shore, being pulled out and pushed back in again.  That is no way to live and you don’t have to.

The best time to make your exit strategy is before the exit.  So here are several steps for you to begin planning your own exit strategy – no matter what you are exiting.

  1. Know that you are great and wiser than you think.  Take a moment and think of a time when you felt like you were down and out.  Maybe it was at the beginning of your business or a new job.  Now think about an experience that had you feeling pretty amazing about yourself.  Maybe you spoke up for yourself or what you believed in.  See, there it is, your greatness.
  2. Trust that you will always know what is best for you.  This one is a leap of faith for some.  But you truly do know what is best for you.  Stop asking other people what you should do and start asking yourself.  Once you do, listen to what you hear back.  There is no other you, because there doesn’t need to be, you are the best of you.
  3. Create a plan for your future.  Do a few ‘what if’ scenarios.  What if I needed money today?  What if you were to lose your job today?  What if you had to take a pay cut?  What if… you fill in the blanks because it’s your exercise.  I focused on money but the ‘what ifs’ are endless.

The idea of the exit strategy is so that you have a prepared roadmap of what you will do IF ____  happens.  You are in the driver seat and you get to say the direction you will go. You’re not leaving it up to chance or hope.  You are stating this is what you will do so that you are not caught off guard and the victim.  You will be the victor of your life and that gives you both feelings of control and confidence.

An exit strategy gives you back the power.  So if you do get laid off or whatever happens to you, you’ll be able to say, “Ok, NEXT.”

Now I’m sure that I’m not the only one that had an exit strategy or had to come up with one fast.  If you have a story to tell, please feel free to share either by sending me a personal email at kim@kimravida.com or post on my blog!

Filed Under: Personal Development Tagged With: , , , , ,

Do you take your business personally?

June 11, 2014 By

woman at desk cryingDo you take your business personally? It’s an honest question. Most people say “It’s business, don’t take it personally.” But really, is that possible? I don’t think so. I think business is personal. Let’s face it, we are people. We are people who have lives, who love and care for others. As humans we are compassionate, thoughtful and we have feelings. So how can we take the feelings out of business? We can’t. We can, however, take the negativity out of it.

What do I mean by take the negativity out of it? A lot of business owners take ‘no’ personally. Let’s take a look at a service-based business such as a coach, personal trainer, massage therapist or even a virtual assistant. In these businesses it is customary to make offers to prospects to come and benefit from our services. Yet, when we hear ‘no’, we can take it to mean that the prospect is saying ‘no’ to us personally, when in fact it is to the services we provide.

I call this type of behavior victim behavior. It means that when we are told ‘no’, we feel as if we have been rejected and then we go down the “I’m not good enough” path… which never leads to anything positive. That is what I mean when I say take the negativity out of it. YOU are good enough. When you go into victim-mode your energy dwindles, you have less drive to get things done, and you certainly don’t feel like making another offer because — gosh forbid — if that person says ‘no’ too, you just won’t be able to deal with it.

Yes, we do take our businesses personally. I have been there. I have felt down and out when someone has said ‘no’ to me. I have felt like maybe I’m not good at this and who would want to work with me anyway. It wasn’t until I realized that I was being a victim and I was taking ‘no’ personally. What they were saying ‘no’ to, in reality, is themselves. They are saying no to their growth, their potential and their happiness.

Here is a secret: usually when someone who is a good fit for you says no, it is because they aren’t feeling as if they are good enough. They may be feeling they won’t get the great results you are telling them they can have. They may feel it will be too hard (another negative and certainly an excuse) and they won’t be able to live up to your expectations… or even their own.

Just so you know; many people use money as an excuse and truly sometimes it is a valid reason. However, if they have looked you up and asked to talk to you, chances are it is time for them to move forward and they may be fearful and in the victim mentality.

Thus, here are several “rules” to remember so that you don’t take ‘no’ personally in your business:

  • Rule #1: You are good enough, right here and right now!
  • Rule #2: You have what it takes to be powerful in every situation.
  • Rule #3: You are not your business – if someone says no, it isn’t ‘no’ personally.
  • Rule #4: Keep a list of the things that you excel at, and if you do take a ‘no’ personally pull those out and read them.
  • Rule #5: Remember Rule #1

Everyone feels as if they might not live up to expectations and therefore they might not even try. Whenever you hear a ‘no’, try to keep in mind also that it is a no now but not forever. I know I’m not the only one who has had a potential client say no and then come to me at another point in time and said yes. Oftentimes people need to think on things and to process it. Yes, sometimes they need to feel the pain of the struggle a little longer before they can say yes to themselves… which, remember, is who they ultimately are saying yes to.

A wise mentor once said to me, “You take yourself everywhere, so why not take the best of yourself each time, leaving behind the possibility to take things personally because it never serves you well.”

If you are a business owner who has taken ‘no’ personally — or even someone who has said ‘no’ to services only to change your mind or realize that you needed to say yes to yourself — I’d love to hear your experiences! Please feel free to email personally at kim@kimravida.com or better yet, share below, so that the rest of us can learn and grow!

Filed Under: Self Worth Tagged With: , , , , , ,

How do you handle money?

March 21, 2014 By

smile with cash 2174In response to that question, did you say “Often” or did you say “What money?”  When I ask this question of my clients, I get a lot of unique answers.  Some are so honest and heartfelt while others are quite sad.

One thing I’ve noticed is that most people handle money poorly.  Pun intended.  They have the ‘poor mentality’, which can also be known as a ‘lack mentality’.  The ‘lack mentality’ basically says “I don’t have enough so why bother”.  It is not a great place to be and it will not get you anywhere.  You find yourself with less money than you want and perhaps less than you need.  You get unexpected bills out of nowhere.  You get dragged down even further because you can’t stop thinking “Where is this money going to come from?”  You end up in an endless loop of trying to play catch up and never get caught up.

How you handle money is often how you handle everything in your life.  So if you avoid handling your money, you probably avoid doing and/or handling things in other areas of your life.  If you are late paying your bills, you probably run late for appointments.  If you forget to pay your bills, you probably forget other important dates, too.  See, if you are not handling your money from a place of control, authority or command… then other areas of your life aren’t being handled that way either.  You give up your ability to live your life powerfully, authentically and joyfully.  Yes, all from not handling your money well.

It’s an interesting concept isn’t it?  That is why I brought up the subject.  I know when I first realized that I wasn’t handling money from a positive, empowering point I discovered there were other areas in my life that I also wasn’t handling with confidence.  Once I decided (and yes, it is a decision) to handle money from a positive, empowering place — paying my bills not only on time but early, paying myself, saving money and saying no to overspending — I suddenly had more money and it feel so great!  Once I honored my money and my money habits, other areas of my life changed for the better, too.  It was so cool.

Are you ready to handle your money from a place of empowerment?  I hope so!

I’d like to teach you how to use your archetypes (don’t worry, I’ll explain what those are) to your advantage so you stop doing the things that sabotage your efforts to grow your money tree!  If you are interested, click here for more info.

Filed Under: Personal Development, Self Worth Tagged With: , , , ,
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