'Take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves'
A few months ago I received an email that sent me into a real tailspin, it appeared an invoice was overdue and I owed money. I was really worried because normally I pay my bills on time and, if I had forgotten to pay quite a serious amount of money, it must mean that I was not on top of things financially.
This last year I’ve been working with a specific coaching process that harnesses the power of metaphor to develop creativity and increase self-awareness. When it comes to numbers I feel like a really bad rabbit farmer, the rabbits (representing numbers/money) keep escaping, digging under the fences and getting mixed up - with horrible consequences. I quickly reach a state of panic and feel out of control with no idea what to do. What I want is to feel calm, ordered and confident around the subject.
When you want to change your internal state a good question to ask is 'what would I like to have happen?' In answer to my own question, I needed the 'rabbits' to be less mobile, more like …. fruit trees!
I could farm fruit instead of rabbits!
I developed the metaphor further: my business finances would be pears, household finances apples and personal finances soft fruits. That way there would be no mixing things up - although the mixing could be delicious rather than chaotic - also, I could increase the yield, enjoy the harvest and even create extra revenue with jams, juices etc - not to mention benefitting the environment by encouraging bees and insects and creating shelter for birds etc..
As soon as I created this image in my mind the anxiety levels dropped and I could feel myself gaining clarity - I actually started to get excited about how I could make it work. I was able to calmly go through my books and found the payment had been overlooked by their bookkeeper – it was like I had won the lottery!
I could farm fruit instead of rabbits!
I developed the metaphor further: my business finances would be pears, household finances apples and personal finances soft fruits. That way there would be no mixing things up - although the mixing could be delicious rather than chaotic - also, I could increase the yield, enjoy the harvest and even create extra revenue with jams, juices etc - not to mention benefitting the environment by encouraging bees and insects and creating shelter for birds etc..
As soon as I created this image in my mind the anxiety levels dropped and I could feel myself gaining clarity - I actually started to get excited about how I could make it work. I was able to calmly go through my books and found the payment had been overlooked by their bookkeeper – it was like I had won the lottery!
Alongside the delight and relief, I recognised that changing the metaphor had not just lowered my anxiety, it made me see it was time to give up always feeling so inadequate around numbers. I knew much of my fear came from old beliefs developed as a child struggling in maths lessons and decided that it didn't have to stay like that. I am working with my new image every day, creating a strong inner picture of my orchard and have started to collect magazine cuttings to anchor it in my subconscious mind. On a practical level I have enrolled myself on an accounting and bookkeeping course for January and it feels empowering to take control of those fears and no longer have them disempower me.
With Relationship Training we use many creative and effective techniques to harness the power of your mind and help you unleash your potential. Don’t let the past rule your future. Whether its relationships, finances, health or life in general, ask yourself: What would I like to have happen?
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