24 Mar Money Healing for the Soulpreneur

Thoughts about Fear and Scarcity in a Time of Uncertainty

By Carolynn Bottino

We all can relate to the feelings of fear and scarcity around toilet paper right now. What if I run out? What if I can’t get more?

Here’s an interesting thought to consider – there is just as much toilet paper in the world right now in this very moment as there was a month ago. The actual need for toilet paper has not increased (to say it bluntly, the number of butts that need toilet paper has not changed). The ability for the toilet paper manufacturers to produce more toilet paper hasn’t changed either.  So, what is different?  The toilet paper is now sitting in someone’s storage room rather than on the grocery store shelf.

Toilet paper is a lot like money.

The same way toilet paper still exists, so does money. There’s just as many dollars in the world today as there was a month ago. Money hasn’t disappeared, the flow has just temporarily slowed because people are afraid to spend.  In other words, people are holding on to their money for fear they are going to run out and they won’t be able to get more, but there is just as much money out there as there was before. Our ability to make and have money hasn’t gone away – it has just shifted. People still need services.  People still need your services.

I share this thought because our world is completely overwhelmed with fear and scarcity. I don’t think there is a single person on this planet who isn’t experiencing these emotions right now.

Let’s talk about the fear we are all feeling

I had my first breakdown Wednesday afternoon.  I was sitting at my desk and this overwhelming sadness hit me as I read a simple email from one of my favorite bookkeeping clients.

“I have terminated everyone except our managers.”

The tears began to flow, and I couldn’t breathe. This sadness had been lingering just below the surface for about a week.

The breakdown wasn’t because of my own fear, although I certainly do feel afraid right now. I felt a huge overwhelming wave of sadness for those around me, clients I have worked with for years on the verge of losing everything, and grief knowing what once was will never be the same again.

I have a confession to make.  While I might be a bookkeeper on the surface, my intimate relationship with my clients and their money goes much, much deeper. I am a money healer. I hold space for people and their money. I care for their businesses and their money as if I it was my own, sharing in their successes and helping them strategize and overcome obstacles as they arise. Being an empath, I feel everything around me.  Not just for myself, but for the people in my life and even the world around me. I feel the energy of my client’s money.

I am now in the front row watching some of the most epic and horrific plot twists unfold within my client’s businesses.  It is safe to say I am on the frontline of the fear around money.

As I watch, I am trying to keep my own fear in check so I don’t get swept away. I feel the fear creeping up as I watch my clients make impossible decisions. Thoughts fly at me in a million directions all at once. If their businesses get swallowed up by the virus, the trickle-down effect will swallow mine up as well.

STOP. Breathe. It’s all going to be ok.

How do I know this?

I have another confession to make – Money talks to me.  Some of you might read this, roll your eyes, and think I’m crazy.  And that’s ok. I am probably not for you. But for those of you who are intrigued, please keep reading because I have some very important messages about money to share.

As many of you know, I recently published The Land of Plenty, a book about money empowerment.  As I was writing that book, I would hike in the hills through my neighborhood each morning and listen to what the Universe had to say to me about money, and what should go in the book. About a week after I published my book, I came across Love Money, Money Loves You by Sarah McCrum. The author asked money if it had anything to tell her, and apparently it did.  She wrote 69 chapters channeling what money had to say. As I read the first few pages, my jaw dropped to the floor.  There was a very familiar voice. It was the voice of money. The same voice that had been talking to me as I wrote my book.

As the past week’s events have unfolded, money has been talking to me.  A lot. And part of what it said to me is that I can’t stay quiet.  I no longer can hide this gift worried what people might think. So, consider this my coming out post. What money is saying to me is really loud, and it needs to be said NOW.  There are lots of people suffering from fear and scarcity and they need to hear these messages NOW.

What exactly did money say to me this week?

Well, quite a bit, but let’s start with a few highlights:

Now is the time for healing. This is the change we have been asking for. All that is untrue will fall away.

Yes, lots of people are feeling fear – it is meant to amplify the truth.

Greed comes from fear, fear comes from greed.  It is time to stop this pattern. This was the quickest way to do so.

This is a time that will show people’s compassion.  Compassion is what opens people’s hearts to see the light. There is nothing to fear around money.  Compassion helps to regenerate money. The more you give, the more there is to spend, the more people are able to thrive.

Get silent and still and ask yourself – how can I be of service. Money is the result of service.

Money – what does the person reading this need to know right now?

Stay calm, breathe. It will all fall into place.

Be of service.

The rest will fall into place.

Don’t be afraid.

Breathe.

The traditional way of making money is coming to a close, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make money or will never have money again. It is ending the cycle to begin anew.

Focus on compassion and love and service.

Now is the time to reflect on what it means to be human. Be human. Be part of humanity. Humanity is good, and beautiful and full of love.

Now more than ever look for the value that is coming to you.  While actual money exchanging hands is going to be less, value will become more. You can’t contain what wants to be exchanged and grown and regenerated – you can’t contain nature. It will just look different and that’s ok.

What can you do right now? 

Take baby steps. Here are some ideas.

One of the most powerful questions you can ask yourself right now for you and your money is how can I be of service? (this means paid and not paid)

In the stillness ask yourself where you can be a contribution to creating what will be the new normal?

If you have the resources, contribute funds to help small businesses while they can’t keep their doors open – every little bit helps. Order take out from restaurants or buy gift cards to support these businesses.

Be kind and compassionate to others.

Be kind and compassionate to yourself. Let yourself feel the rollercoaster of emotions that are swirling around you. It is ok to feel them all. If you start to feel shame and guilt around your money, cut yourself some slack and try to let it go. The guilt and shame only creates more fear.

Work on your money mindset – understand where many of the emotions you are feeling are coming from. Especially in times of crisis, some of these feelings might not even be yours. Are you feeling someone else’s panic and fear?

Watch for stories of compassion and people helping others. They can be a huge source of comfort and inspiration.

Ask yourself, what else is possible that you never imagined before?

If you are feeling overwhelmed with fear and scarcity, think about the toilet paper analogy. Even though you can’t see it on the grocery store shelves, it is still in this world. It hasn’t disappeared. Neither has money.

One final thought. If you are swimming in fear right now around your money, I have one simple message.  I see you. I feel you. I am here with you. I have lots of moments of fear too. It’s ok to be afraid right now.  We all experience fear. I am here for you. Breathe. I can hold space for you to confront these fears, one baby step at a time.

XOXO

Carolynn Bottino is the author of the international best selling book The Land of Plenty: A Soulpreneur’s Guide to Finding Joy, Possibility and Abundance through Money Empowerment. After empowering more than 100 clients in her bookkeeping business, she discovered her passion helping soulpreneurs find joy around their money and was inspired to create the Money Empowerment Project®. Carolynn approaches money from a practical and holistic standpoint, with no judgement, helping you find abundance and transform your relationship with money.