As a life coach, I dislike – maybe even loathe – seeing business coaches talk about “making six figures off your first launch.” Or when they use cheesy marketing ploys that promise six-figures… but only if you study their blueprint, map, or 6-week program. Why?
Well, who came up with 6-figure earnings being THE GOAL anyway?
I recently took a good look at my own finances with the goal of finding out what my true minimum income would be for me to not just pay my bills, but to be happy and feel fulfilled with all the things I want to do in life! What was truly enough for me?
All these 6-figure gurus have pushed this idea that once you make 6-figures, you will be happier and healthier and, let’s face it, some even give the vibe you’ll even be sexier. And of course if we look at this from a literal perspective, that money won’t really make you happy in the deepest sense of the word…
But studies have shown that, contrary to earlier findings, happiness does grow the more money you make. Previous studies suggested a plateu of the relationship between happiness and money – somewhere around $75k a year. But more recent research shows income is “robustly associated” with positive feelings in day-to-day moments and overall life satisfaction.
So can money buy happiness?
Not exactly.
I admit that I got sucked into this idea of 6-figure success and used this in my early days of coaching to measure my own success. What sucked was that using that goal negated all of the amazing work my clients and I were doing BEFORE that 6-figure mark.
Nothing was good enough to me until I reached that goal, even though I used to live an amazing, fulfilling life, traveling the world and only making $14,000 a year as a climbing guide.
Clearly I needed to take a look at that 6-figure goal and find out if that was truly my “enough.” I was aiming for that for all the wrong reasons.
After I explored what I truly needed and wanted – not to avoid being destitute but what I needed to create simple abundance – it turns out I was much closer than I thought. I’m guessing the same is true for you too.
How did I go about discovering that sweet-spot number for myself? How did I discover the minimum I needed to create simple abundance, to be happy and thriving – paying my bills, having fun, and offering my gifts to the world?
I dive into that in this podcast.
First, we need to make sure our ambition is rooted in what is truly important to us. We often think that we are not enough. We need to do more, have more, because of patriarchal consumerism and capitalism… this idea that more more more equals more worthiness.
Instead, we can shift to find abundance in what is fun and sustainable and where our growth is motivated by first knowing our inherent worthiness and NOT basing our goals from a sense of lack and scarcity and fear (which is what I used to do when I had my 6-figure goal when I first started).
If you are looking at your “must have” list and you aren’t sure, remember this: When you know what “enough” truly is for you, abundance flows even more freely. So don’t be scared to go to enough. More will flow.
In other words, when you simplify your life, you will find abundance flows in more freely. I believe this partly because once you know your minimum, anything above that is easy to see as a blessing. As more than enough.
Second, don’t stop striving for that 6-figure goal if you want to! It’s not the number in and of itself. We need to not define our self-worth and happiness by that number.
Third, remember that your “enough” isn’t the bare minimum you need to live on in order to not become homeless or destitute. It’s the minimum you need to create your version of simple abundance, to be happy and thrive!
We need to also remember that we may need to revisit this number as we –and our lives – change.
It can be pretty tricky to figure out, and the mind can certainly mess with us in regards to what we “need” vs what we want, but it’s absolutely worth doing. And while you strive to create abundance, may you also remember to put in the thoughtwork, the active mindfulness, to remind yourself of your true power within to live a life of integrity and joy.
In this episode you will learn:
// Can money really buy happiness?
// Why do we correlate money with emotional wellbeing?
// How patriarchy has skewed our version of “enough”
// How “enough” can naturally lead to abundance
// How to find our own version of “enough” – or simple abundance – using my handy spreadsheet I created for you!
Resources:
// Check out Episode 41 on Money and Right Livelihood
// Download the Simple Abundance Budget Sheet I refer to here: Excel Version & Numbers Version
// Want to join us for 6 months of magic and adventures in the Adventure Mastermind? Of course! Head to www.AdventureMastermind.com – applications are open and we are filling up!
// If you’re new to the squad, grab the starter kit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll get access to the private Facebook group where you can ask me questions! Once you join, there’s also a weekly FB live called Wake the F*ck Up Wednesday, where you can ask questions that come up as you do this work – in all parts of your life.
// If you’re interested in finding out more about how to free your mind and free your life, join Freedom School. Enrollment is open, and we are diving DEEP into ways to cultivate clarity and courage so you can create your best life. There are also some sweet bonus courses for you there. It will set you up to live the best version of you in the year to come. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com.