Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Dollar? Face Your Earning Potential with Courage

One of my favorite things to do is talking to people about the often-verboten subject of money, more specifically - their earning potential.. See, I've been around the block with money: great relationship, bad relationship, too little, too much. I'm not perfect now but I've got a lot of experience and a lot of learning under my belt. To help me take this conversation to a new level, I asked a bunch of people to tell me about their relationship to the almighty dollar and 280 people came clean. 

The number one reason respondents cited as holding them back from earning more money was fear.

 Most of us realize that fear is a terrible reason not to do something. Of course, growing, changing, and coming into your own potential is frightening. It's uncomfortable. I would like, if I may, to assuage some of your fears. How do I know those fears? Dear reader, they are the same that held me back from my now 6-figure business.I get it.  

1. I'm afraid people of what others will think.

Choosing scarcity can be a virtue. Allowing scarcity to choose you is a virtue is a crime. You can earn good - no, great! - money and not hoard it. You can have wealth without riches. You can give of your abundance and relish your opportunities to serve. Making money can help you do more, be more, and offer more to those who might think otherwise. It's good to question & consider the necessity of excess but it's quite another to put yourself out of the giving game by exiling yourself into scarcity. Embrace your work, your life, and your ability to earn.   

2. I'm afraid I'll lose customers if I raise my prices.

Truth be told, you might. It's been my experience that you don't lose customers when you raise your prices (although you will lose bargain hunters and the occasional pain the butt). You might even attract more qualified, proactive customers & clients who choose to prioritize the work you do for them. Which leads me to the 3rd fear:   

3. I'm afraid only "rich" people will buy my work.

After 2 and a half years in business, I'm continually surprised at what lengths people are willing to go through to buy my work or engage my services. Good work and good products are an investment. I'm not asking anyone to take out a second mortgage but I do truly appreciate when people put off simple pleasures in order to find the money they need. When your product or service is on the higher end, you get customers who prioritize it more highly, regardless of their income level. Earning money doesn't have to be scary. It can be downright beautiful. 

When you don't have to worry about the amount in your bank account or the limit on your credit card, you have a lot more bandwidth for the stuff that really matters.

What holds you back from earning more?