Do you have hidden biases that prevent you from making money?

Everyone looked up when she walked in the room. She had a certain air about her. Dressed in her white power suit with her neatly coiffed hair and a smile on her face like she had a secret that only she knew.

I disliked her from the get go. I could feel the expression on my face change as if I were looking in a mirror - eyes half closed and sarcastic lifting of the lip.

Then BAM!!! Common sense took over and I recognised my reaction for what it was. Envy!!! I was jealous of her. I'll be darned. I hadn't even met her yet and I didn't like her. Obviously I have issues but that's ok. what matters is that I enjoy challenging my own assumptions particularly when those assumptions include any misinformation about money.

My heart rests with the folks like me whose early education caused them to develop a set of flawed assumptions around money that negatively impacted them in life. Our early foundations set the course for us in life. Some folks grow up in homes where money is given the respect it deserves. Others grow up with unwarranted disdain toward money and everyone associated with it.

Social conditioning is a powerful thing.

My reaction to Ms. Power Suit wasn't based in logic, they were based in outdated and useless assumptions.

I have tools in my box to deal with these moments - moments of envy that now and again raise their ugly heads and cause me to react like this. They are the tools that anyone who has ever had to change their mind holds. They're the tools that let us challenge our assumptions and when it comes to money - it's a tool that I will keep nearby.

If you suspect that, like me, you have hidden biases against money, know this:


1. Money in and of itself has no character traits. It is neither good nor bad. It has a neutral quality. Making  money does not make you a good or bad person.

2. If you're extreme in your saving or your spending, you may want to look at your own assumptions around money. Those assumptions will get in the way of creating wealth.

3. If you're not sure how you feel, listen to the 5 people closest to you. Yep, like it or not, their beliefs usually mirror your own. That being said - as you change your mind, you will change your friends because it is difficult to be with folks who don't share your values. True dat.

Money doesn't grow on trees but it does grow. Mindset matters and mindset is not a fixed entity. You can change your mind and in my experience all success starts there.