Dear Money Adventurer,
Okay. Here we go! This begins our short Money Mocha series, which, for this round of mochas, will encourage you to literally start writing a new chapter in your money story.
I often talk about writing a new chapter in your money story in a metaphorical sense, but this year, to celebrate the opening of registration for the Art of Money 2022, I want to invite you to start this New Year out in a new way: by actually writing, with a pen and journal or with a keyboard, the start of a new chapter in your money story.
Why? Well, for one thing, this is one of the quickest, most practical ways to get started in making actual changes to how you relate with this thing we call money.
Secondly, this process I’ll take you through in the next few emails will give you a taste of what the more in-depth journey inside the full Art of Money 2022 program is like.
Think of these mochas as hors d’oeuvres, which makes the full program…a table full of chocolate? Sure. That works for me.
Alright. Now that we’re all thinking about chocolate, let’s get started, right here, right now, in the writing of a new chapter in your money story.
To begin, a question for you:
Do you ever wish you could just start over with money?
As the new year begins, everywhere we turn we’re inundated with messages encouraging us to make dramatic resolutions and change, well, pretty much everything about ourselves, overnight.
“New Year, New You!”
Except that it doesn’t work that way.
Real, healthy, sustainable change is a process; it happens quietly, gradually, step by step.
Especially when it comes to money.
For all the high-pressure expectations to “get our finances in order,” to stop spending so much, or start saving more, rarely, if ever, are we offered the space, consideration, or compassion to begin again.
But, in many cultural traditions, a new beginning is exactly what the new year is all about.
Historically, New Year’s resolutions can be traced back thousands of years to Babylonians who rang in the new year as spring crops were planted in Mid-March, celebrating the season of rebirth and renewal, marking a new beginning, a “fresh start”.
On New Year’s day in Greece, you might hang an onion on your front door as a symbol of growth and rebirth in the coming year – an ancient tradition that is still commonly practiced.
In Holland, on New Year’s Eve, Christmas trees are symbolically burned to cleanse away the past, and fireworks are lit in celebration of a new beginning – a concept echoed in Ecuador and Panama, where bonfires are lit and effigies are burned to cleanse away the misfortune and hardships of “los año viejo” (the old year).
So, take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Now, get comfy, grab your journal, or a notebook and something to write with, and take a few minutes to reflect on the questions below as you sip your morning coffee.
What if, this year, you chose rebirth and renewal instead of judging, bullying, or shaming yourself into unrealistic resolutions?
What if instead of looking outside of yourself for what your financial life “should” look like, you offered yourself grace instead?
What might change if you chose to release the past and start over with money?
You can start right here, right now, by taking just a few minutes to sit with what that might look like for you – and how it would feel to give yourself a fresh start in your money life.
This simple journaling practice, this looking inward, this acknowledging of what we hope and yearn for – is incredibly powerful, and oh so very brave. By bringing this honest vulnerability, mindful awareness, and gentle curiosity to your money, you’re already creating new possibilities for healing and growth.
If no one else has told you this, let me be the first – just because money has so often been stressful, confusing, or anxiety-inducing doesn’t mean that it has to stay that way, or that you have to have it all figured out overnight.
The truth is, you can’t shame or blame your way into creating a healthy, sustainable, personally meaningful relationship with money.
But you can choose gentleness and self-compassion over weighty judgments and restrictive resolutions.
You can choose to forgive yourself for not knowing what you don’t know – and for holding yourself to such impossible expectations.
You can choose instead to ground your journey in renewal, deeper self-knowing, and even joy.
You can choose to grow, slowly, steadily, in awareness, in wisdom, in financial know-how.
You can choose to take baby steps, to start by simply noticing how you feel about your relationship with money, by acknowledging the patterns and habits that no longer serve you.
Here begins a fresh start – no more bullying or shame.
No more finger-pointing or blame.
No more tough love – now is the time for loving awareness.
Here we cultivate compassion, mindfulness, and grace.
Here we trade judgment for gentleness and begin anew, with a clean slate.
Here we embark upon a more compassionate, more mindful, more personal relationship with money.
If you’re ready for a fresh start in your financial life, take the first step – join The Art of Money and give yourself permission to begin again.
One step at a time, here we grow.
P.S. You can find out all about The Art of Money program on our beautiful new program page here.
