Welcome to Spring!

The focus and rich conversation happening inside The DDA Business Academy over the last few weeks has been all about the money. It’s a core part of the program as it’s a foundation pillar in everyone’s success.

And over the last decade, when it comes to money, I’ve observed a pattern.

99% of people have money goals they deeply want to achieve to support their freedom and independence (pay off debt, save, invest etc.)

Yet, money is hands down one of the hardest things for so many people to consistently focus on.

There are big, clear gaps between the desire and the action.

Consider this…
The average person spends 40 hours a week/2080 hours a year working to make money (not the only objective but often a primary one).

Now, let’s think about how many hours the average person spends deeply worrying about money and stressing over financial decisions – consciously or unconsciously.

Finally, let’s consider how many hours the average person might spend knowing their numbers, managing their money, learning financial strategies, changing their money stories and shifting their financial identity.

Well, according to The Financial Worry Poll, Canadians spend an average of 2 hours a day worrying about finances and according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American spends less than 2 minutes a day managing their finances.

8 hours a day working to make money (2080 hours/year)
2 hours a day worrying about money (730 hours/year)
2 minutes a day managing money (12 hours/year)

Ouch! (And regardless of whether these stats hold true for everyone, the hard truth is that we don’t spend enough time focused on our money relative to the impact it has on our entire lives.)

Here’s the thing… This lack of time and attention on money actually has very little to do with what’s in your bank account and everything to do with your money stories.

If you have negative, disempowering, scarcity driven beliefs (which most of us have on some level) then of course you’re not going to want to face the fear, internal judgment, shame, blame and the unknown. That’s like volunteering for that self torture chamber.

Therefore, even though you want to reach your financial goals, you’re simply not going to prioritize and carve out the time you need to take the necessary actions to achieve them.

But when you stay in avoidance and denial, you magnify the painful cycle of scarcity and fear and the world reflects it back to you.

So, how about some good news?

First, you get to choose what you believe and there are powerful ways to keep shifting the stories that are blocking your financial freedom.

Second, the foundation principles and systems of effective money management are actually pretty simple. (EG: I used to use the same four spreadsheets to manage my business and personal finances for seven years.)

There’s no sugar coating that the above takes work that can be deeply uncomfortable at times. And I promise you that no matter how far out of your comfort zone you’re going to go, once you make the decision to truly take responsibility for your financial health, one tiny step at a time your whole world will shift and the money always follows.

So, where to start?

Here are three simple steps with three powerful resources to help lean into reaching your money goals this year:

1. Make your financial independence non-negotiable. It’s truly one of the greatest forms of self care there is!
   
   
2. Make the commitment to shift your stories, stop beating yourself up and end the cycle. Seriously. Every painful moment you spend in judgment, shame and worry is time, focus and energy you’re wasting disempowering yourself instead of using it to take your next aligned step forward. * Use The DDA SHIFT METHOD to transform those stories. This is an awesome, free, powerful 90 minute workshop with a wealth of resources!
   
   
3. Create new money habits, starting with Money Dates. Nothing will change until you prioritize time dedicated to your money. These are non-negotiable consistent, weekly blocks of time in your calendar focused 100% on your money. You get to decide what you do during your money dates. Here are two great templates to get you started: (These are Google Documents that with one click, copy into your Google Drive)
   
   * YOUR MONEY DATE CHECKLIST TEMPLATE Customize and create your own money date checklist making it easy for you to stay on top of your financial organization and abundance practices.
   
   * YOUR MONTHLY MONEY ROAD MAP One of my favourites! Designed to help you really tune into your money: the stories and numbers at the end of every month. “Landing & Launching” is the practice of pausing, taking stock, reflecting and gathering insights then setting your goals and focus before launching back into the next month.
   
   

If you follow the three simple steps above, in the span of just a few hours, you’ll have taken huge steps to close the gap between what you want to achieve financially this year and what you will achieve!

The best part is that you’ll feel amazing, deeply empowered and inspired to keep saying YES to your financial freedom!

And if you choose to Do Something Different with your money this week, head on over to Instagram and join the fun #dosomethingdifferentchallenge.

Always,

Leah
PS: YES! The DDA Business Academy is now open for enrollment. If you want to have incredible support reaching your money goals this year, check it out. As always, reach out if you want to connect and I’ll share more about the program soon.