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7 Core Considerations To Constructing A New Money Story

7 Core Considerations To Constructing A New Money Story

Think you can, think you can’t; either way you’ll be right.” ~ Henry Ford

If you’ve been reading my blogs or following me on social media, then you’ve likely become familiar with the debilitating effects money blocks can have on your success with money and in life. Perhaps you’ve started uncovering some of your own money blocks and you’re now at the point where you are ready to write a new money story?

If that’s where you find yourself that’s great. But regardless of where you may be on your journey shattering the invisible boundaries over what’s possible for your life and creating a financially empowered life designed around your purpose, you’ll appreciate the wisdom from this article on things you should take into consideration that I learned from Dave, one of my mentors.

7 Core Considerations To Constructing A New Money Story

1. Disengage from “what might have been.”

If you attempt to reenter an old story and acquire what you missed in the past; it won’t work because it is no longer the past. I wasted a lot of time and energy lamenting over all of the reasons why despite my best efforts, I was unable to acquire a CPA firm in the past. Little did I know then that acquiring a CPA was not a part of God’s plan and purpose for my life. Looking back, it’s amazing how every door I thought I was to walk in to acquire those firms, was “magically” close shut for one reason or the other

By focusing on what might have been, you lose today and tomorrow. “If only” fantasies erode the power of today and expend energy that could be better served pursing your purpose for tomorrow. I know from personal experience that when you let go of the past, you reclaim your aliveness in the present.

2. Coming to the end of your past and even resolving emotional issues isn’t enough.

Gaining insights from your past and even resolving the self-limiting beliefs and attitudes that held you captive to an unsatisfying and unfulfilled life is great. However, you can’t get stuck in the moral victories of resolving all of the emotional baggage from your past. You have to harness all of that energy and use if for something good.

You have to have a purpose, a dream, in order to give hope a blueprint. To live a satisfying and fulfilled live, your next act has to be built around your purpose. The fire, passion and discipline that purpose gives you is what will not only sustain you on the journey ahead, but also help you overcome every obstacle while keeping hope alive.

The plot and strategies forged from your new money story provide the organization. The goals you set will provide the direction.

3. Have a “big picture” of your money story and bring it into focus whenever necessary.

The big picture consists of your own ideals and principles, and objectively organizing your life and decisions according to what you believe to be in your best interest. We’re talking about the rest of your life here so let’s take the time to set ourselves up for success.

Start by getting absolute clarity on your purpose. Why do you exist here on planet earth? What’s the one thing you do uniquely well that you’d do even if you weren’t getting paid? What are you passionate about? What did you used to dream about doing as a kid?

For example, my purpose is help clients overcome the magnetic pull of limiting beliefs from their past, so they can take action on present opportunities to create a financially empowered life, designed around their purpose, that brings immense success satisfaction and fulfillment beyond even their wildest dreams

Then work on getting clear about your vision. What are all of the different ways you are going to bring your purpose to pass? Will you be working as a solopreneur? Will you work with partners? What specific initiatives will you engage in? Who’s your target market? What are the different ways you can serve them.

For example part of my vision entails working with solopreneurs, small business owners, coaches, professional practice owners and executives. Some of the ways I’ll serve them will be working one on one with them in a coaching, mentoring or consultancy capacity. I’ll also work with them through my group coaching programs, online courses, summits, conferences, speaking engagements etc. etc.

Lastly, work on identifying specific goals that will support your vision and ultimately serve your purpose. Make your goals SMART….specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time sensitive.

For example, when I was working on developing as a speaker, I set a goal to complete being certified by the John Maxwell Team by a specific date and did. As part of that goal, I wanted to be one of the finalists to speak on the stage at his biannual international certification events and though I didn’t make it to the stage, I did make the Top 10 list, which was the last phase before they picked 3 people to speak on the stage. Making the top 10 was a huge accomplishment for me back then.

The beauty of having complete clarity of your Purpose, Vision and Goals (“PVG”) is that it’s the safest way to avoid falling victim to the ‘shiny object syndrome’….something I’ve fallen victim to many times in the past. As you journey into living into your new money story, while the next right thing may not always be clear to you, I can assure you that if you have clarity on your “PVG,” you will always be clear about what the next right thing isn’t. If that next thing isn’t in harmony with your PVG, instantly you know you can confidently say NO to that shiny object being proposed to you.

4. Distinguish need from want and establish priorities

A need is an essential requirement, a necessity for mind, body or spirit. Think food, water, shelter, community etc.

Wants (wishes and desires) are replaceable with other wants, but a need cannot substitute for another need. Remember my earlier story about purchasing HIS and HERS Mercedes Benz while on my journey to becoming debt free? That was clearly a want that I somehow convinced myself was a need back then. The sad thing about wants is you can never get enough of what you don’t need. Think about it, do we all need a new smart phone every 12 months?

Priorities are about getting clarity about what is really important to you? Every day of your life, you will redefine and refine priorities, and make decisions based on this fundamental question. As you make those decisions, remember to prioritize plans and pursuits based on core values and needs. Again, did I really need those HIS and HERS Mercedes Benz vehicles?

Money and finances must be balanced with family, work, health, friendship, leisure and taking care of yourself. Any neglect or imbalance in one area may generate overcompensation in other areas, which strangely enough, throws you right back to being out of balance again. Forget being balanced and identify the right rhythm to your life and focus on staying in rhythm.

5. When establishing a goal, ask yourself, “What is good enough?” and also know what reaching a goal will do

The goal of “more money” can never be reached, because it has no end point. More money, like perfection is a quest that’s never satisfied. Instead, think about the level of influence and impact you want to have in specific areas and let that determine your money goal.

It is important to know what achieving a goal will do in order to distinguish clearly what it will not do. If you’re read through one of the gifts that I’ve given you on the 17 common money storylines, then you should be aware of some of the things money can’t do. Reaching a monetary goal will not undo the past, make your marriage better or make other troubles go away. This is one reason why I stress the importance of mastering the emotional language of money, for it truly is a secret language that determines your success in money mastery.

6. The only familiar territory is behind you

Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard said, “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.” If worrying about the future fills your present, then both will be diminished.

As scary as taking bold steps forward to live into your new money story might seem, remember that you’ll never do anything important that will feel comfortable in the beginning. Your capacity to endure uncertainty is the essence of growth.

So, whatever your new money story calls for you to do, do it afraid. That’s what courage looks like…doing the unfamiliar afraid, until it becomes familiar and no longer scary.

7. Seek out suggestions, critique and professional advice

While it’s been said one the best investments you can make is in knowledge, the only other better investment you can make is in the specified knowledge you get from someone who’s been down the path you are embarking on. That’s where consulting with a mentor-coach to help you identify, deconstruct and construct a new money story for you will pay the highest dividends to you.

At times this may be difficult emotionally, when it would seem easier to consult (really collude) with someone who would mirror and agree with your own opinions. Taking the easier route would be fatal to your end goal. Seeking the help of professional advice from mentors and coaches, who are not only objective but can help unearth the treasures that lie within you, is something that quite frankly is invaluable.

Read this as many times as necessary so you can internalize each consideration. Then put it to good use in constructing your new money story. As you do, you’ll find that you are getting more fluent with the emotional language of money.

Needless to say, I believe it’s imperative you become fluent on the emotional language of money. It’s the secret sauce to creating a financially empowered life, designed around your purpose, the brings fulfillment and satisfaction beyond even your wildest dreams. It’s part of my calling and life work. It’s changed my life and the life of my clients for the better. It will have dramatic impact on your life too once you discard your old money story and live into a new one that you co-author with me as your trusted guide. I know you’re ready to start the journey to creating the life you can’t wait to live. We can get started right after you take the assessment and then book a call so we can chat!

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That life you desire, that life you’ve been dreaming of, that sense of purpose, success and fulfillment that you know is your birth right, all of that is within your reach. It can ALL happen easily and effortlessly for you by simply taking your first step and completing the assessment and then booking a call so we can chat!

TAKE ASSESSMENT NOW

It’s time to construct a powerful new money story that empowers you to live the life you’ve always dreamed of!

 

With Abundance & Fulfillment,

Ike

6 Guidelines For Finding Your Purpose

6 Guidelines For Finding Your Purpose

“Purpose is the place where your deep gladness meets the world’s needs” ~ Frederick Buechner

To waste 30 years of your life working for a company that isn’t fulfilling your life purpose is s complete waste of three decades.  When people tell me that they are overwhelmed by life, that’s usually a clue they are not in purpose.  When you are in purpose, you have passion on your side.  Passion ignites and drives you.  It gives you the discipline needed to overcome every obstacle on your journey to your greatest aspiration.

Beyond the levels of satisfaction and fulfillment that come from living out your purpose in life, another reason why it’s paramount to get into fulfilling your purpose is that it’s the answer to increasing the flow of money into your life.

What is it that you do uniquely well and enjoy doing more than anything else?  Perhaps you have something you do better than others.  Or perhaps there’s something you so completely enjoy that it galvanizes you and brings out the best in you.  To find your purpose, look no further than your passion.  You can start that search by following these 6 guidelines I learned from Dave, one of my mentors:

  1. Get curious

    Embrace the fact that you don’t know what your purpose is and simply begin to ask, “Why?” Why am I here? Why am I driven by “X”?, Why am I motivated by “Y”? Why am I passionate about “Z”? Develop a hunger to understand the new, unknown and unfamiliar.

  2. Engage

    It’s tough to find passion without leaving the house. Hermits by definition are not passionate people for all of their energy isn’t being directed anywhere outside of their home.  Passion is directed energy, and revealing it requires that you create opportunities to engage in new activities, meet new people and get out of your comfort zone.  Get comfortable saying “Yes” when you normally might have said “No.”

  3. Get out of the details

    Passion requires that you take a big-picture view of things and see things from the 30,000-foot level versus being stuck in the minutia of it all. Book an appointment with yourself on your calendar for this time of reflection

  4. Think back to when you were a kid

    At one point in time, we all felt passion. Children have boatloads of it by default, but over time it has a way of slipping away.  Spend some time mentally revisiting your childhood.  Reflect on times when you were most engaged, vibrant and alive.  What did you love?  Why did you love? What did you want to be when you grew up?

  5. Recruit help

    Sometimes we can’t see the forest from the trees. You may find it necessary to enlist the help of others to help you find your passion.  Working with a mentor or a coach should be high on your priority list.  Others that may provide insights for you could be a close friend or spouse/partner who can tell you when they’ve seen you really come alive.  Sharing your quest with a professional or others will prove to be a valuable experience for you.  You won’t regret opening up this way to others that can help you.

  6. Move on

    An old dog lies half-asleep on the port of a general store, moaning and groaning in the sun. After watching him go on like that for a few minutes, a customer asks the store owner, “Why is your dog acting that way?”

    “Oh, him,” the store owner says, “that’s Homer.  Homer’s fussin’ cause he’s lyin’ on a nail.”

    “Well, why doesn’t he move?”

    “Cause it ain’t hurtin’ him bad enough.”

    You can become so absorbed in your story of financial hardship that you can’t focus on anything else.  When I lost millions to a Ponzi-scheme and the SEC wanted to hold me responsible for me and my clients’ losses, it seemed like I held onto that story for years much like a scarlet letter had been etched into my chest.

    It’s easy to get into a rut of telling our stories of loss and how unfair the system is.  Frankly, we’d tell that story over and over again to ourselves and to anyone who will listen….the boyfriend or girlfriend who left, the cheating spouse who wrecked your marriage, the scheming business partner who stole from you, the lousy boss, the job we can’t stand but can’t quit, the government, the economy….the list goes on and on

    While there may be some truth or even a whole lot of truth to any of these stories, at the end of the day they are just that, stories.  There comes a time in your life when you just need to move on, when you just need to get off the nail you’ve been lying on before you can see clearly enough to find your passion and ultimately, your purpose.

I hope you find these 6 guidelines helpful in your quest for finding your purpose.  I believe there is no more noble cause in life.  It’s been said that the two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why?

Today, I stand on the sidelines, rooting for and cheering you on in your quest to find your purpose.  It’s something I take very seriously and is a part of the work I do in my Total Money Language Mastery one on one coaching program.  If that’s something that would interest you, take the assessment and then book a call so we can chat!

TAKE ASSESSMENT NOW

Out of all the gifts I could give you, the gift of finding and living into your purpose is one of the best ones I could pass onto you.  It’s made a profound difference in my life and in the lives of the clients I serve.  Here’s what one of my clients had to say:

I hired Ike to be my life coach during one of the toughest seasons in my life!  In just a few short sessions, he helped to guide me towards a path of success and purpose!” ~ Chanel E. Martin, CEO PNTHRClaw Consulting

Rooting for and cheering you on your quest!

“If a life unexamined isn’t worth living, perhaps the unexamined life is truly worth living? ~ Socrates & Ike Ikokwu

A life built around your purpose is really the only life worth living.  It’s the life where purpose and passion meet to let money flow abundantly into you so you experience money and life abundantly.

You can embark upon that life by taking your first step and completing the assessment and then book a call so we can chat!

TAKE ASSESSMENT NOW

 

With Abundance & Fulfillment,

Ike

3 Ways To See Money As A Spiritual Journey

3 Ways To See Money As A Spiritual Journey

While most discussions about money often focus on the physical, tangible Federal Reserve Notes, few people understand money is more spiritual than it is physical.  Here are 3 ways to see your relationship with money as a spiritual journey, not a physical one!

1. MONEY IS A REFLECTION OF OUR TRUEST SELF

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” Matthew 6:21

As water reflects the face, so the heart of man reflects man” – Proverbs 27:19

Rightly or wrongly, the fact is that there are few things we treasure more in life than money itself. It’s been said that we never see things as they are, we see things as we are. I’ve been quoted to say that I can generally tell most of what I need to know about someone by taking a look at their calendar and their checkbook.  How you spend your time and money says a lot about you.  When you look at how you engage with money, like a mirror, it will reflect back how you feel about yourself, how you’ve defined your self-worth, how much you think you deserve in life and how much you think you are capable of accomplishing.  As such, many have a love-hate relationship with money as it exposes the hidden things about us that we would rather not share with others.

2. MONEY IS ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

The Good Book tells us we are “like gods” and that we’ve been created in His image.  In our first introduction to God, we see him expressing his creativity as the heavens and earth are formed.  Then we were empowered with the right to name the things He created and take dominion over the earth.  In my studies of the Universal Laws of Creation, I know that through the law of the Perpetual Transmutation of Radiant Energy, energy is perpetually in motion and that it can be transmuted to create things.  When we have thoughts backed by a strong desire, the amplitude of vibration from those thoughts can be transmuted into the creation of products and services that solve problems in the marketplace.  As entrepreneurs, that’s what we are in business to do, solve problems.  And when we do that, money naturally flows to us.

Elsewhere in that Good Book, we are told that God knows the thoughts that he has for us, and they are thoughts to prosper us.  It’s His desire to release divine thoughts to us that enable us to co-create solutions with Him that address the problems of those we serve as entrepreneurs.  When we do, money flows freely to us and those we serve can look at us and say we are just like our Father, which is the greatest compliment a Father wants to hear about his son.  In that regard, your lack of money is really a function of three questions:

  • Do you believe God wants to prosper you?
  • Do you believe God wants to co-create with you?
  • Do you believe God loves you?

3. MONEY IS A BAROMETER FOR IF YOU ARE LIVING YOUR PURPOSE

When you understand DNA and how each of us have been uniquely created, then you recognize that there’s no such thing as competition when it relates to fulfilling your purpose in life. No one else on planet earth has the same set of experiences, the same set of skills, gifts, talents, or the unique voice that you have in communicating your unique value proposition to the world. And before you were formed in your mother’s womb, you were uniquely designed to fulfilling a very specific purpose on earth.The problem with those who spend their lives complaining about being overwhelmed by the amount or the lack of flow of money into their lives, overwhelmed by their lack of motivation, their lack of ideas or any other excuses they may offer as to why they are not experiencing an abundant flow of money into their lives is that they don’t recognize that they are “under-purposed.”  They haven’t tapped into that thing they were uniquely designed to do.  Because when they do, being overwhelmed becomes a thing of the past.  Being unmotivated no longer applies to them.

When you tap into purpose, the universe stands at attention and opens every door necessary and releases every resource you need to fulfill that which you were divinely created to do.  And when you do that, you will find money flowing to you in abundance because you are using all six of your intellectual faculties and tapping into the seven laws of creation to release unique solutions into the marketplace for which you are generously compensated.

If you’re not satisfied with what you see in the mirror, if you feel like there are opportunities to improve your relationship with God, if you feel like the flow of money into your life is an indictment that you are not ‘living your purpose,” and you’re ready to start experiencing money and life abundantly, take the assessment and then book a call so we can chat!

I’m sure you’re curious of what a life experiencing money and life abundantly feels like.  That life is well within your reach when and it starts by taking your assessment now!

TAKE ASSESSMENT NOW

With Abundance & Fulfillment,

Ike

Need A Miracle? How To Respond When God Answers Your Prayer In An Unexpected Way

In today’s video story, you’ll learn how to respond when God actually answers your prayer. I know many may carry a list of unanswered prayers they are still believing God for. Rest assured that God is faithful to answer those prayers. But just as important, is when he answers other prayers you’re believing him for, in a way that you least expect. Your response in those moments is critical. Watch and see how Justine Layser responded to one of her biggest FAITH tests in her adventures with God.

So often we say God, make me a person of great faith. And then God answers our prayers by allowing events to occur in our life that build our faith muscles to give us that which we desire. In those moments, it’s hard to realize that God is actually answering our prayers. But so often, that’s the case with this upside down Kingdom we are a part of. It’s a Kingdom where the last shall be first; where to go up higher, we have to go down lower; where to be strong, we have to be weak. All of what we think to be logical is truly turned upside down in other that the Kingdom that is within us might be released into the world around us. Justine’s story certainly fits the bill and if you are “called”, your story likely will follow a similar pattern

We all have stories that can save someone else’s life…..so consider sharing your story and join the movement on social media #YourStoryCanSaveALifeChallenge