I was standing in the shower this morning – the place where most good thinking happens – when the thought popped into my head, “Wow, a lot of people have been willing to help me and give me things lately. I don’t know what to do with that.”
I started to laugh. Just yesterday I had a conversation with one of my clients about the art of receiving. She told me how hard it is for her to receive but incredibly easy to give.
She gives of her talent, her time and her money without hesitation. But even a simple compliment is hard to receive.
Can you relate?
As women we are natural givers. Not only is it in our DNA, but society also designates women as the givers, the caretakers. We GIVE birth… a super powerful thing. We give to our children (or pets), our spouses, our parents, our friends, our clients. We are constantly in a state of giving.
I see this manifesting in a reluctance to receive. And that includes receiving equal value for what we give. i.e. Charging for our services.
I hear women say all the time, “Oh, I’m not in this for the money.”
Sometimes I want to scream, “It’s a business, honey. That’s what business is about.” But it’s more than the exchange of money for your service/product. It’s more than the Karmic debt you create for someone when you refuse to receive after you’ve given.
It’s about women having the power to make choices and take a seat at the table. I never quite understood this until I started making money with my business.
In my abusive starter marriage, I stayed because I didn’t think I could make enough money to raise my 4 children. When I finally left, I was completely broken. I had to fight my way back and find myself again. It was such a relief to discover that I could make my own money, could pay my own bills. More than self-sufficiency, I gained self-esteem. I had value in the world that I hadn’t realized before.
From there it became a challenge to see how many other women I could empower. Because here is the truth – when women are able to do work they love and make money doing it, they have the power to heal themselves and heal their families.
When women take a seat at the table of decision makers, we do things differently. We bring the energy of mother earth with us, the essence of those that give life. And when that essence is part of the decision making, we have the power to effect change. When we bring our money to the table, we have the resources to heal the planet.
I challenge you to focus this week on receiving. Receive by opening your heart and feeling the sentiment of a compliment. By feeling the love in a gift. By charging your clients for your services with complete faith in the value you bring.
Please let me know how this challenge affects your week.
I believe in you!
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