Too many people spend money they earned..to buy things they don’t want..to impress people that they don’t like.
-Will Rogers
I recently finished two books about money, You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth by Jen Sincero and Get Rich Lucky Bitch!: Release Your Money Blocks and Live a First Class Life by Denise Duffield Thomas. Great titles, right? A little edgy. Pushing the envelope. Very outside of the box. The were both really good reads, and I highly recommend checking them out if you haven’t already read them. As a therapist, what I loved was that these books dealt with where your money mindset stems from and how to look for money abundance in your everyday life. Part of this is an investment in yourself, whether it is physical, mental, etc.
So, what does any of this have to do with therapy?
Well, for starters, my private practice is set up as completely private pay/pay out-of-pocket (although I do provide all my clients with a monthly medical receipt that they can submit to their insurance company for possible out-of-network reimbursement). This means that I’m asking my clients to spend money, usually on a weekly basis, as an investment in themselves and their mental wellness. And it really is an investment in your mental well being, now and in the future.
Women who are willing to spend this money on themselves are usually highly motivated to make some big changes in their lives to help them feel better. They understand that they are investing time and money into therapy and the process of bettering themselves.
I’ve been there too and I get it; as therapists, we must first work on and invest in ourselves before being in the best space to help our clients.
The other concept I loved from these books is about looking for money abundance in your life, right here, right now. It’s the mindset of coming from a place of having plenty versus feeling like you don’t have enough in your life. It’s coming from a positive place, one filled with gratitude. A place where you truly appreciate the abundance in your life.
If you struggle with this concept, journaling at the end of the day can be a great way to start changing your negative mindset. Try to end the day writing about (at least) one thing, big or small, that you feel grateful for that happened that day.