Book Review: It’s Not Your Money by Tosha Silver

I’m curious, what feelings come up for you when you read the title of Tosha Silver’s book, It’s Not Your Money? Do you scoff or disapprove? Are you intrigued? Perhaps something else entirely comes up for you, or a mix of both. Today’s book review is focusing on a book that deals with a popular topic on this blog: money mindset.

However, Tosha Silver’s background is not as a money coach or bookkeeper (like myself). Her works originated from her love for and desire to share yogic philosophy. Her unique background gives this book a powerful spiritual charge. This book was an excellent and insightful read. Here are my top three takeaways:

#1: We’re Not In Charge

The title of this book is central to its philosophy. Throughout, Tosha tries to communicate that we alone are not in charge of what happens. She encourages the reader to “release doership,” embrace surrender, and give everything over to Love. Specifically, she speaks of Divine Love, her vision of a higher power. She suggest surrendering over to this power.

Now, if you’re reading this and raising your eyebrows, I get it. Surrender is nice and all, but applying it to your money in our competitive and driven world is no small feat. However, this book makes a wonderful case and provides a clear framework for doing just that. Much like Lyne Twist’s The Soul of Money, this book encourages us to see money like water – just a part of the flow in the universe.

This piece of the book was interesting for me to read. It reminded me of some other money mindset work that I have read and written about, which emphasizes the importance of releasing financial anxiety and other money baggage. Surrendering the care of our money and our wellbeing over to Divine Love is also, probably not coincidentally, a great way to release financial anxiety.

#2: Language Matters

During the book, Tosha outlines a 5 step process. One of these places great emphasis on the language we use around money. Specifically, she encourages us to examine the language we use around our financial situations. Another piece of this process also delves into working with prayers and affirmations. She introduces “Change Me Prayers,” which are meant to help the reader give up who they used to be to the Divine, in order to allow for change. Here’s one of these prayers below:

“Change me, Divine Beloved, into one who fully trusts that all true needs are always met through your bounty. Let me surrender and allow You to be my Source for All. Let me breathe, relax, and let you lead. I am safe. I am peaceful. All needs will abundantly be met. I am Yours completely.”

Isn’t that prayer beautiful? Definitely not your typical money mindset work! As a fellow lover of affirmations and an appreciator of words, I deeply resonated with these elements of her approach.

#3: Make Space

Another piece of this 5-step process is decluttering. Tosha invites the reader to “let what needs to go, go, so that what needs to come, can come.” This is an exercise in detachment, another theme running throughout the book. She writes, “Detachment is not that should own nothing, but that nothing should own you.”

As a Marie Kondo fan, this was not necessarily a new concept for me, but an exciting one nonetheless. In the past, I’ve talked about reviewing and refreshing your finances occasionally. The idea of incorporating an emphasis on decluttering and detachment is exciting and something I just might try out!

In sum, this book was an excellent book about money mindset work with a deep spiritual emphasis. I’d recommend this book not only for folks interested in money, but also for those less interested, too! The spiritual emphasis makes it inviting for those who tend to eschew material focus.

If you enjoyed this book review, you’ll probably like being on my newsletter! Click here to subscribe and receive my monthly tailored newsletter full of important financial conversations, and my weekly blog updates.

By |2022-02-17T13:01:42-08:00February 17th, 2022|Categories: Financial Clarity, Money Mindset|Tags: , , , , , , , |0 Comments
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Book Review: 55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal by Elizabeth White

Elizabeth White might know impostor syndrome better than many of us. In her book, 55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal, she discusses the financial insecurity that has become a reality for many older people, women, and marginalized groups in the workforce. This book is emotionally uplifting and full of resources. Here are a couple of my favorite points from the book:

Unshaming Underemployment

What’s so interesting about this book is the way it’s starting a conversation  that seems to be sorely needed. Case in point: Elizabeth White originally began this book project after first penning an essay on the same topic online. It got a huge response, because so many people are in a situation where they are experiencing the same level of financial insecurity and ageism.

Not only does this book bring this topic out into the light, but the author also does a wonderful job of absolving older and vulnerable people of the shame they may be feeling around their finances. She discusses many different contributing factors, including our changing retirement system, healthcare system, ageism in the workplace, women and minorities earning less, and women living longer. She points out skillfully that these are not things individuals can control. 

Seeking Support

Along with this robust discussion of societal factors, the author also brings in a guide to creating support groups. She terms these “Resilience Groups.” She describes these groups as small groups of people coming together to discuss their financial circumstances openly with one another. They can be a hub for information- and resource-sharing, and group problem-solving.

If you’ve read my blog for awhile, you’ll know that having open and honest conversations about money with other people in your life is something I advocate for consistently. Creating space in multiple relationships in your life to talk about money is very important. It’s one of the best ways to release the shame of whatever financial situation you may be dealing with. As Elizabeth White points out, it’s also a great way to access resources and new perspectives on your situation. For more reading on these ideas, check out my articles on money buddies, building a money team, and finding a mentor.

Busting Through Denial

“The cavalry is not coming.” The author is adamant that one important facet of managing financial insecurity and instability is accepting your circumstances. She discusses the importance of letting go of magical thinking, and introduces the concept of “smalling up.” This concept encourages us to think about what we really need to be content, and prioritize that. Going beyond a call for us to live within our means, she asks us to think about what it would mean to “live a life not defined by things.”

This point resonate deeply for me, as something I often work on with my clients is helping them uncover their values and shape their finances to better reflect what’s important to them.

You can learn more about this book on Elizabeth’s website. The book is both an important wakeup call and a helpful resource. I highly recommend reading it! I hope you enjoyed this review. If you’d like to get connected with more of my content, sign up for my newsletter! Blog posts are delivered to your inbox every week, along with a monthly tailored note to you from yours truly.

☮

Angela

Image: Elizabeth White

By |2021-08-23T15:11:14-07:00August 16th, 2021|Categories: Money Mindset, Personal Savings, Personal Spending|Tags: , , , , , , , , |0 Comments
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Book Review: The Soul of Money by Lynne Twist

This is the time of year when we focus on giving and gratitude. While I don’t believe either should really be relegated to one season, especially when it comes to our money, I do like taking this time to really think on these themes. I recently finished The Soul of Money: Transforming Your Relationship With Money and Life by Lynne Twist and found it the perfect resource to meditate on these ideas. Lynne Twist is a recognized global visionary who has worked with people of all income levels and is committed to ending poverty and hunger. Her thoughts in this book are a beautiful exploration of being intentional and in alignment with your money. Here are four takeaways I enjoyed from this book, that you might too! 

Scarcity vs. Sufficiency

One of the key tenets of this book is Lynne Twist’s definitions of sufficiency and scarcity mindsets. She posits that,

“Scarcity speaks in terms of never enough, emptiness, fear, mistrust, envy, greed, hoarding, competition, fragmentation, separateness, judgment, striving, entitlement, control, busy, survival, outer riches…Sufficiency speaks in terms of gratitude, fulfillment, love, trust, respect, contributing, faith, compassion, integration, wholeness, commitment, acceptance, partnership, responsibility, resilience, and inner riches.”

This quote offers some excellent perspective for self-examination. How frequently are we acting from a place of scarcity or sufficiency?

Lynne also discusses how the assumed scarcity that our monetary system and culture are both built on reinforces inequality of all kinds. She explains how when we accept scarcity, we also accept that some will not have enough, and that perhaps they don’t have enough because they are “less than.” She explains,

“When we believe that more is better, and equate having more with being more—more smart or more able—then people on the short end of that resource stick are assumed to be less smart, less able, even less valuable, as human beings. We feel we have permission to discount them. When we believe that’s just the way things are, then we assume a posture of helplessness. We believe that a problem is unsolvable. We accept that in our human family neither the resource-rich members nor the resource-poor members have enough money, enough food, or enough intelligence or resourcefulness to generate lasting solutions.”

Working from a place of sufficiency can help us transcend that place of helplessness and accepting inequality.

Sufficiency Opens Up Energy

The author also remarks on how, when we let go of scarcity and stop going after things we don’t really want or need, this “frees up oceans of energy to make a difference with what you have. When you make a difference with what you have, it expands.” She also remarks, “when people [a]re able to align their money with their deepest, most soulful interests and commitments, their relationship with money bec[omes] a place where profound and lasting transformation c[an] occur.” This reminds me of the concept I come back to often; knowing your money why. It’s so important to align your finances with that which is truly important and valuable to you!

Our Conversations Are Our Reality

If you look at the first quote I pulled about scarcity versus sufficiency, you’ll notice Lynne says “Scarcity speaks…”. In her book, she makes a point to discuss how our words and thoughts are connected, and work together to create the conditions we find ourselves in. Take a look at how sufficiency speaks. What if your conversations centered around gratitude and possibility? Surely sticking with that can have a positive effect. Imagine approaching your money with that attitude!

On the whole, this book is inspiring and eloquently written. Lynne Twist does a great job articulating a philosophy that I hold dear in my practice at At Peace With Money. She emphasizes how important it is to align with our true values, claim our power, and work to create transformation, for ourselves and others.

If you enjoyed this article, check out my other book recommendations! I’ve got a great collection of my faves that can help you explore your relationship with money.

☮

Angela

 

 

By |2021-04-08T14:37:20-07:00November 9th, 2020|Categories: Financial Clarity, Money Mindset|Tags: , , , , , , |0 Comments
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Book Review: Proposals for the Feminine Economy by Jennifer Armbrust

This week, I was reminded why Proposals for the Feminine Economy resonates with me.  I was on a call with my business coach feeling discouraged about my own business forays. She suggested a mantra – “I am a successful business owner.”  As I was trying this on during my morning practice the next day, I knew I needed to define “successful.” The definition I’ve come up with is confident, committed, open to new clients and collaborations, self-sustaining, abundant, and growing.  This definition gives me a feeling of lightness, hope and helpfulness towards others.

These principles are what Jennifer emphasizes in her book. As a society, we see business success through a lens of masculine values and results. She suggests that we instead strive to view business as a creative environment and value our business using more feminine metrics, like care, mutual aid, sustainability, and needs-fulfillment  Her book is filled with beautiful illustrations, one of my favorite being the wheel of values in a feminine economy. A couple other examples of masculine vs feminine economy that have stuck with me include the differences in employing competition vs collaboration or consumption vs resourcefulness.  

This book is about transforming our relationship with money and work, which are aligned with my own philosophies.  I love her manifesto “100 Ways to Make More Money” and have several favorites. I particularly love these two because they are the basis of why and how I work with my clients:  “See fiscal empowerment as a revolutionary act” and “Become conscious – know why you do what you do with your money.”

Lastly, I very much enjoy her thoughts about cultivating an abundance consciousness.  Again, it is easy to define abundance through numbers when thinking about businesses, and particularly for me as a profitability coach. She reminds us to “feel how rich you are already” and to remember that “money isn’t the only form of wealth”. These are the lessons I try to remember when I define the success of my business and the success I am helping my clients to experience. I highly recommend checking out this book and Jennifer’s website in general. You can also read my post on the feminine economy for more information on the concept. I hope you find it inspiring!

☮

Angela

By |2019-08-31T02:44:46-07:00August 30th, 2019|Categories: Money Mindset, Small Business, solopreneurs|Tags: , , , , , , |0 Comments
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To Increase Your Earnings, Take Action

So, you’ve shifted your mindset: you see the potential for abundance and your life and you’re ready for the cash to roll in. But now what? It’s time to take action. By getting the wheels in motion, you get closer to earning what you deserve. This is the second in a series of posts on the seven strategies used by high earning women Barbara Stanny interviewed in her book Secrets of Six Figure Women. You can check out the first post on shifting to an abundance mindset here! According to Barbara’s insights, here are a couple action steps you’ll want to take. 

Step One: Get Clear

The first step is to get clear on where your finances are right now.  You need to know what you have in the bank, how much you are spending monthly, and what and whom you owe.  If you are currently ignoring this information, you cannot move forward until you face these numbers.  In her book, Barbara gives many examples of women who have changed their patterns with their finances.  Many had to stop overspending in various areas, some had to pay off credit card debt or stop using credit cards altogether.  But they all had to first examine their current behaviors and then think about where they wanted to end up and make the decision to make change. If you’d like a guide for this step, check out my post Three Steps to Financial Clarity. 

Step Two: Make a Change

Making changes may include trying new strategies with your spending and saving.  It may mean not using credit cards at all, or seeking out someone to partner with to make change, like a money buddy or accountability partner. One of the women interviewed actually set up a system of saving one third of her income, setting aside one third for taxes and living off of one third.  This may not be a feasible option for every income level, but setting up and automating some percentage of saving is a great place to begin. You can read my article about automation for more resources. The author points out that when you do make a change, “each step builds to the next, increasing confidence, competence and resources.” With that in mind, the best thing to do is pick an idea, try it, and see if it does some good for your financial situation. 

To Increase Earnings, Take Action title imageThree Keys

Once you’re on your way to making changes, it’s good to know the keys to managing your money. Barbara points out three key steps to successful money management: spend less than you earn, pay yourself first, and then put your money to work.  This last step is often the trickiest. Many people are tripped up by fear when it comes to investing and building wealth. That’s why we’ll going in depth about it next week, when we’ll talk about wealth building. I haven’t talked a whole lot about this here, beyond a few ideas about retirement prep, so I’m excited to get more into it!

If you think you’d be able to take more action with the guidance of an accountability partner, I’m always here to help. Take a look at my services, book a call, and let’s have a chat!

☮

Angela

By |2019-05-15T19:10:44-07:00May 15th, 2019|Categories: Financial Clarity, Personal Savings, Personal Spending|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments
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What’s Your Money Mindset?

If you got my newsletter this month, then you know that I’m deep-diving into Barbara Stanny’s Secrets of Six Figure Women: Surprising Strategies to up Your Earnings and Change Your Life. By doing this, I hope to lead us through a month of investigating our own earnings and making sure we’re earning what we deserve! This week’s post is about mindset, the first ingredient in that process.

Check In

Barbara interviews six-figure earners and contrasts them with women she dubs underearners.  One of the contrasts that is ever present between the two is a difference in mindset.  In her workshops with underearners, she uses a great exercise that I would encourage you to explore for yourself.  She asks them to complete this sentence:  People with money are _______________.  If this as well as the title of this book bring up negative emotions, you will need to change this story before you are able to change your relationship with your earning potential. 

I mentioned in my newsletter that I don’t believe that we all need to strive for a six figure income, or even that money is a measure of our success.  But as business owners, if we are not able to support ourselves through our work, we will find it impossible to continue sharing the gifts that we have to offer.  I believe that we need to shift to an abundance mindset. What do you think of when you think of the word abundance?  I feel that this word includes many things: being grateful for what we have now, for what the future holds for us, for the gifts and talents we are able to share, the connections that we have to other people and the money that our society uses as a measure of exchange.  Unless we include money in our desire for abundance, we will not be able to increase or even feel deserving of our earnings.

My Mindset

I have been exploring my own money mindset recently. While I thought I had a positive relationship with money, I still found that I had some blocks as well.  Because our society seems to measure a person’s value by their salary, it is easy to base your self-worth on your income.  In our household, my husband earns the money that we base our lifestyle on. When I truly began exploring my mindset, I found that I was seeing my earnings as “insignificant” in comparison to his.  When I began to separate the value that I deliver to my clients from my worthiness as an individual, my outlook on my potential impact also changed. 

The Deciding Factor

The path to making this mindset shift towards abundance includes gratitude, affirmations about your worth, and a decision to make a change.  Many of the six-figure women interviewed by Barbara started out with negative feelings around money, but they recognized that fact, made a decision to change and then put their new attitudes into practice.  The fact that you are reading this blog about money already shows your willingness to change. That is a great start!  

I hope you found these words about mindset helpful. Next time we will be talking about actions you can take to improve your earnings potential. If you want to talk more about mindset, I’m your gal. Check out my Services page and book a call!

☮

Angela

Image Source:  Nathan Atkinson

By |2019-05-10T22:06:52-07:00May 10th, 2019|Categories: Money Mindset, solopreneurs|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments
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Book Review: Joyful by Ingrid Fetell Lee

Book Review: Joyful By Ingrid Fetell Lee: At Peace With Money

For this month’s focus on habits, I thought I’d review Ingrid Fetell Lee’s wonderful book, Joyful. This book is a great resources for getting into the habit of seeing the joy in our everyday lives. Who doesn’t want to make that a regular practice?  Isn’t the point of working for yourself to allow yourself flexibility and greater opportunities to enjoy life? I know many solopreneurs are driven by these desires, which is why I think tapping into joy is something we can all do with more consistency.

Ingrid Fetell Lee is a designer, blogger at aestheticsofjoy.com and expert on joy. I found her book to be an excellent resource for finding joy in my daily routine. Joy may be hard to separate from happiness – but in her Ted Talk, Ingrid defines joy as “feeling good right now, in the moment.” Even the table of contents Joyful by Ingrid Fetell Lee Book Review: At Peace With Moneybrings me joy. Expect chapter titles like Abundance, Harmony, and Magic! Each chapter includes an overview and the science behind these aesthetics of joy. Then, she articulates easily attainable ideas and examples to bring in more of each element.

One of my favorite chapters is Freedom, in which Ingrid points out that “Joy thrives on the alleviation of constraints.”  She goes on to explain how we experience the restorative benefits of freedom through viewing or spending time in nature. According to her findings, this can be as simple as adding a plant to your home space. Color also plays a major role throughout the book. She explains how color can easily be added to or just enjoyed in our daily lives.

She wraps the book up with a Joyful Toolkit including project worksheets to add more joy as you plan your space, event, or perhaps even a new offering in your business!  Learning about joy can not only improve your work life as a solopreneur, but also help you learn to invoke joy for your customers. In general, I think this book is an excellent resource for appreciating and enjoying life. I try to operate my business with an eye towards the emotional side of money. Joy is an emotion I would love to help my clients experience when it comes to their finances! If you’re interested in what I do, check out my Services, and book a call!

☮

Angela

By |2019-03-13T00:38:29-07:00March 13th, 2019|Categories: Financial Clarity, Money Mindset, solopreneurs|Tags: , , , , , , , , |0 Comments
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Book Review: The Art of Money by Bari Tessler

Book Review: The Art of Money By Bari Tessler

If you read my newsletter (you can sign up by clicking here) then you know that this month, I’m focusing on how we can love ourselves through our money. This idea touches on financial self care, but also folds in the idea that looking after our finances can be a pleasant and loving thing we do in our lives.

If there is a book that captures that sentiment, The Art of Money by Financial Therapist Bari Tessler is it. This is one of the first books that I read when I became interested in adding financial coaching to my bookkeeping practice.  While I know that I have a talent for helping people with their money systems, Bari Tessler has a talent for helping people go deeper in their relationship with money.  If you have ever listened to Bari speak on her podcast, you can clearly hear her voice in this book. She truly makes doing emotional work around money feel like a safe space.

She lays the process out in three phases and includes many useful practices in each area. Her first phase gently lays out a process to understand and heal your feelings and your history around your money past. She utilizes her training in somatic psychology to help facilitate this process.

In phase two, she covers the practical side of dealing with money.  Here she includes something we’ll explore later this month: money dates, or spending intentional time working on your finances, in a pleasant way. She also talks about setting up money systems and assembling your support team – whether that is professional help or a money buddy.

Her final phase deals with goals, dreams and plans.  Her philosophy holds that when you have healed your relationship with money and have tools in place to address it, you can start to see the bigger picture and how your dreams can become reality. This book can be a great resource, but particularly if you have money beliefs or blocks that are holding you back. It provides support and practical tools to heal and move forward with improved financial self care.  My posts this month will feature other ideas and support around this topic. If you are ready for  more in-depth help around your money systems, I invite you to reach out and schedule a call.

☮

Angela

By |2019-02-07T01:21:59-08:00February 7th, 2019|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |1 Comment
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Book Review: Your Money or Your Life

If you’re looking for a full financial makeover, you’ve just found your inspiration. Vicki Robin, co-author of Your Money or Your Life, is also known as the mother of the FI (Financial Independence) life. She is a talented writer and a renaissance woman in her own right. I was interested in reading her book after hearing her podcast interview with Paula Pant. Though the book was originally published in the 90’s, a fully revised edition was released earlier this year.

Favorite Points

This is a great book if you’re looking for a guide to help you really examine your life and your finances. The book includes lots of thought provoking exercises and insights around leading an intentional life and being intentional with your money. It prompts you to go through your beliefs around money with a fine-tooth comb, and includes a lot of advice and guidance for doing so. One such nugget of wisdom is the mantra “no shame, no blame.” Vicki brings this up when asking us to examine our financial pasts. This is very important advice for anyone trying to remake their financial life. We can’t change our financial pasts, but Your Money or Your Life Book Review: At Peace With Moneywe don’t need to stew and feel bad about them. The best thing we can do is move on and take action to enhance our financial futures. This mantra helps us remember that instead of being distracted by our past mistakes, we should look forward and act now. 

Included above is another nugget of wisdom. The chart indicates the sweet spot our finances can allow us to live in without letting our jobs and our need for income control us. This is marked by the top of the chart labeled “enough.” The writers explain that to achieve FI, we need to find our own “enough” zone, a place where our financial needs are sustainable and satisfying. In our culture of material excess, this is a very profound point. This insight alone can easily revolutionize your financial outlook!

I definitely recommend taking a good deal of time to read this book and do the steps. It is chock-full of information. Especially if you’re new to the world of FI, each chapter takes a while to absorb. Don’t let that intimidate you! With serious commitment, this book can change your financial life. If it sounds intriguing, please check it out. I also recommend having a look at the book’s website, it includes a lot of other helpful tools and resources if you want to get started!

☮

Angela

Image Sources: Free in Ten Years, Your Money or Your Life

By |2018-10-22T23:56:47-07:00October 22nd, 2018|Categories: Financial Clarity, Money Mindset, Personal Savings, Personal Spending|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |1 Comment
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Book Review: The One Thing

At Peace With Money: Book Review: The-One-ThingThis summer, I read The One Thing by Gary Keller (no relation), and my initial reaction was irritation. Essentially, the book advises us to focus on one big goal that you want to accomplish and then break that goal down into smaller time chunks.The goal is to do something small to work toward that goal every day. The key is focusing. That’s probably why it irritated me.

Staying focused is definitely something that I struggle with. As a business owner, as a wife and mother, as a person in today’s world of distracting gadgets – focusing is difficult!  It seems there is always a fire to put out, a need to be met. Always there is an idea that is nibbling your brain, or a rabbit hole to dive into and lose 45 minutes of your life. My reaction was about something I need to work on in myself rather than the idea the author presents.  

He also suggests scheduling that focused time into your calendar and protecting it – another challenge for me. On top of that, he debunks the idea of multi-tasking. This felt blasphemous to me at first. What mother do you know who does not pride herself on juggling multiple balls in the air on a daily basis!?! It seemed to me that Gary Keller was basically trying topull the rug out from under my life! This book made me so angry that I had to take a few months to calm down enough to even write this review.

Practical Applications

But somehow, this morning I woke up thinking about this book again. A practical example to apply his basic techniques popped into my mind. Let’s say you want to save $30,000 to buy a house over the next 5 years. That sounds like a lot of money to save and a crazy goal! But if we break it down to saving $6,000 this year and saving $500 each month which means saving about $17 each day, it becomes manageable. To reach this goal, we ask, what’s the one thing we can do today to get that started? Perhaps you open the savings account. Maybe you start a side hustle and allocate all the income to that goal. You might start saving your cash in a money jar to deposit at month end. Maybe you resolve to pack your lunch.

The One Thing Book Review: At Peace With MoneyWhat’s important is getting started by taking some action today to make the goals you have for your future turn into a reality.  That is a lesson I can take from this book.

I might have to work on my focus, and reexamine my views on multitasking. However, I do feel I stand behind the ultimate message of this book: get clear on your goal, focus on it, and work towards it every day. If you do that, you will achieve what you’re after. Whether that’s saving for a house or starting a business, this is an important reminder in how we approach our financial goals. If you need an accountability partner to help you get started, please feel free to reach out.  I would love to help you reach your goals (and I promise not to forbid you from multitasking!)

 

☮

Angela

Image Sources: Squidhub, Bonehead Business

By |2018-09-12T02:27:30-07:00September 12th, 2018|Categories: Financial Clarity, Money Mindset, solopreneurs|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments
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