Your Money Is Leaking (And You Don’t Even Know It)

So when money doesn't have a purpose, it tends to disappear. It tends to be spent on autopilot. So we're going to do a step-by-step exercise in this lesson and give money a job. So a clear aligned purpose so it supports your next level life instead of slipping through your fingers. So why does this matter? So when money doesn't have a purpose, it tends to disappear. It tends to be spent on subscriptions we don't use, impulse buys, expenses that don't actually light us up. But when you assign money a job, whether that's covering essentials, funding your desires, or building overflow, it knows where to go. Purpose creates alignment. And when your money is aligned with what matters to you, you feel more empowered, more magnetic, and more in control. So we're here to connect your money to what you truly value the most so that when we get into the actual math and the equations, those numbers feel exciting and motivating. So we're going to do a step-by-step exercise in this lesson. We're going to define your purpose for money. So step 1, you're going to look at this present moment. So where is your money going every single month? You might just want to scroll through your bank account and take a look. Which expenses feel aligned with my values and which feel out of alignment? Now you might see that there are some expenses that aren't exactly exciting, but they're still in alignment with your values. You still want to have electricity, you want to have water, you want to have all the necessities, right? They might not be exciting, but they're still in alignment. Then I want you to look at your desires and your current spending. So what have your— which of your desires are you actively funding and which ones are you currently postponing? And what you might start to see is that actually we uncovered your top 3 to 5 desires in the last phase and you want to start funding those sooner rather than later. Maybe there's something you realize that's actually really important to you that you've been putting off and you want to kind of move it up the list. Okay, so then I want you to go into step 3, which is choosing your priorities. So list out your top 3 to 5 values or priorities for this season. Again, your desires, maybe that's travel, savings, a new mentorship package, home upgrades, whatever it may be, saving for a new home, a new team member. List out what those things actually are and write how you want money to support each of those. And you can start to answer these journal prompts as well right away. So my true purpose for money right now is the desires I'm ready to prioritize financially are where I'm currently spending money that doesn't feel aligned with my next level self is and what small shift could I make this month to start directing more money towards what actually matters? Now I do this exercise quite regularly. I do an audit of my spending all the time, and so I'm really aware of what's going out every single month and what I'm paying for. And like I said, some expenses are more exciting than others, but I'm always also clear about what desires I want to be funding in this moment as well. And so I like to have the combination. I don't want to have a just enough number. I want to have an overflow number. Okay. And we'll get into the nitty-gritty of that in the next lesson, but just start to evaluate where your money is going. So for example, I realized that as much as I love Pilates, Right now, my schedule is not in alignment with going to Pilates, driving 15 minutes there, 15 minutes back, which ends up being an hour and a half of my day. And it's much better for me if I have an amazing app that I love to use on my phone and I can work out at home. And so I signed up for something. The one I love to use is called Melissa Wood Health. It makes me feel amazing. I love doing her exercises. There's some that are 15 minutes. There's some that are 40 minutes. Doesn't matter. So I can fit it into my day and there's no excuse. And so for me, paying for a Pilates subscription is not in alignment with where I'm at right now, but paying for this other subscription is. So again, that's a simple example, but just start to be aware of where you're spending money that's no longer in alignment and even where you're spending money where it's not in alignment with your next level self. So I'll give you another example. Recently I got rid of over 100 pieces of clothing that weren't aligned with my next level self. And that was very freeing. It felt amazing to do that. And I didn't go and replenish everything right away. I actually decided to sign up for Rent the Runway, which has been really incredible for me. It's allowed me to dive into different types of clothes I wouldn't have otherwise tried. It's allowed me to have things just for an event and send it back. You can also choose to purchase things. And so it's been amazing so far. And I'm going to keep using it. It's been so good and so much fun. But that's something that's been in alignment with my next level self. And then I will start investing in other things when I desire to do so or find pieces that I really love. Maybe for you, the next level of investment is a team member. Maybe you're currently paying money for a team that isn't doing a good job. You've been settling for people that aren't rockstar team members to help you go to the next level. And so you want to shift that money and pay towards somebody who is a top-level team member. Okay, so you are the CFO of your life, and this is your first board meeting with money. Essentially, it's not about restricting. It's really about saying, Money, here's what we're going to do together. Here is what matters most right now. And when you can do that, it sends a clear signal to the universe saying, I can handle more. I know where it's going and I'm ready for overflow. Okay? So once you know the purpose behind your money, the next step is to calculate what it takes to fund that purpose. Now we're going to take that clarity and turn it into a tangible monthly number. So the amount of money that you required, if you'll say, Safe, supported, and thriving. And when you know this number, you're going to stop living in anxiety about not having enough. You're going to move out of guessing and grounded into clarity. So this number becomes your baseline, and everything above it becomes overflow. Okay? So why does this actually matter? So when money feels uncertain, your nervous system stays on high alert. You might overwork. You might undercharge. You might stay. stuck in fear because you don't actually know what it takes to meet your goals. But when you know your non-negotiable number, you reclaim your power and you're able to say with confidence, this is what I require every single month to be safe and thriving. I am the woman who calls this in every single month. This is not about shrinking or limiting yourself. It's about building a strong, empowered foundation so that everything else feels like overflow. Okay. So there's going to be a step-by-step exercise that you can do in the suggested resources. I'm going to walk you through it really quickly here. This is you starting to calculate your non-negotiable number. Now I have a friend that calls this your just enough number, but I'm personally not somebody who wants to be in the just enough club. I want to be in the more than enough club. And so we're not only going to look at your current expenses, we're also going to look at a few additional items that will support you. And moving into a place of really thriving. Okay? Because we uncovered the top 3 to 5 desires on your list that you want to start to work towards immediately. So we're going to factor those in as well. All right? And I'm going to explain, explain how to do that. So the first step is to list out your essentials. And again, you might have this somewhere. You might be using an app already. You might have your own spreadsheet. You might have the number calculated through QuickBooks or something else, but I want you to list out your expenses. So that could be your house, Mortgage, rent, your utilities, food and groceries, transportation, minimum debt payments, childcare, school costs, and then business expenses. Okay. Then I want you to add in the things that will make you feel like you're thriving. And those can be the things from your desires. So for example, maybe you have the desire to have more support on your team or more support around the house, or maybe you desire to have a spa appointment every single month. Maybe you desire to get weekly flowers or massages or go on more date nights with your spouse. Maybe you have a bigger investment, like you want to start to save money towards a new home, or you want to have money to do a home upgrade or a renovation. Maybe you want to hire a next-level coach. Maybe you want to invest in therapy, whatever it is, whatever those desires were, we're going to factor those in as well. Obviously some are going to be bigger than others. Some are going to be more long-term than others, but we're going to factor those in as well. Okay. Then we're going to add them together. So essentially the essentials, Plus your desires, and that becomes your non-negotiable monthly baseline. Okay, so I love doing it this way because oftentimes it can feel like our desires are like off on that vision board and we're not actually moving towards them, and that doesn't feel good. So whatever you uncovered in the last phase, put it on here. And again, if it's a bigger thing, you might decide, hey, I'm gonna put in $2K per month, and that's gonna go towards my dream home. Right? You might not be purchasing the dream home tomorrow, but you add in some money, um, that becomes your non-negotiable goal towards that investment. All right. Now my only other caveat to this is that if you are currently bringing in $100K per month or $20K per month, whatever the number is, try not to quantum leap in this exercise. All right. So your body should still feel like, hey, this is doable. Maybe it's a little bit of a stretch, But actually, this is doable for me, right? I don't want you to pick a number that feels like it's completely pie in the sky. There's no way it's ever going to happen. We need to start to move in a way that feels good, feels doable, feels exciting versus freaking out and not actually doing anything at all, which is essentially what happens when we set goals that are way too high. Our body doesn't even know how to get there. We don't know how to create a plan. We don't feel safe yet. We haven't rewired our nervous system. So for example, if you're at $20K months, maybe your goal is $30K or $25K. Okay. We're not going to go from $25K up to $60K, although you obviously can. You can quantum leap anytime you so choose, but we're looking for a level of consistency here as well. And anything else is overflow, right? I'd love for you to say my minimum is $25K, right? That's my non-negotiable. And actually I made $75K last month or I made $775K last month. Right. And so all of that is available to you, but pick a baseline that feels really good for you. Then I want you to check in. Final step, step 4, check in the— check the alignment. So compare this number to what you're currently earning. Is there a gap? Is there a surplus? How does it feel to see this number written down? Right. Then we've included some reflection prompts for you. So how does my non-negotiable feel? Empowering, scary, motivating? Again, it should feel doable. Maybe a little bit of a stretch, but doable. Is it higher or lower than I expected? And this question might surprise you, but a lot of people I find actually have a lower baseline than what they think they have, which is interesting. Or they start to move money around and realize there's so much that they've been paying for that's not in alignment, and that money can go towards their desires. Where have I been shrinking my desires to make my number artificially small? Where have I been overextending myself and adding things that don't feel aligned for me? Okay. So again, I do this exercise quite regularly. I know what my baseline is, and I know that anything above that is overflow, which is amazing. And I'm always aiming high. I'm not saying that I'm always just aiming for that number, but when you have a clear number in mind, it really does create this grounded energy and makes you feel much safer. Okay. This number is not meant to stress you out. It's meant to empower you. You get to have a clear baseline, and then you can decide what you want to build on top of that. All right. So when you hit this number, you can feel safe and grounded. And when you go beyond it, you can celebrate overflow. So go ahead and dive into the journal prompts, the suggested resources, and I will see you in the next video.