I wish you were all here with me at the ReWIRE Conference put on by Barbara Stanny, an amazing Financial Coach. She is hosting this conference for women whether you’re an entrepreneur, architect, IT woman or financial advisor. She is going deep into the psychology of money and along the way, helping us to rewire all areas of our lives. I want to share a couple of today’s highlights, my “aha” moments, with you.
First, let me set the stage for you. We were discussing the three parts of the brain: Reptilian Complex, Limbic System, and Neocortex. This was new to me, so quite fascinating. The Reptilian Complex is the source of our automatic instincts: fight, flight, freeze, feed and fornication. The Limbic System adds emotions to our instincts and receives all stimulus. It cannot tell time so it processes information quickly. We act first and think later in the limbic system. The Neocortex is the grey matter, the Executive Function and source of rational thought. It tells us what to do next. I found it interesting that this area of our brain does not fully develop until our late 20’s. (This is good to know if you have teenagers 🙂 Bottom line – we are wired to avoid danger and insure survival. Our brain takes the path of least resistance. The brain is the servant and our Mind is the Master!
What flows through our mind powers the brain. In our Mind are two distinct thought systems: Ego (Fear- primitive brain); Soul (Love – Connection to the divine and deepest truth). The job of the Ego is to keep us safe, keep us in the familiar, and it speaks the first and loudest. The job of the Soul is to make us soar and aspire to our greatness which is our reason for being!
The key to rewiring the brain is to unplug from the Ego and plug into the Soul! What are you scared to do the most? That’s what you need to do. Go where you fear because that’s where you’ll grow the most!
Now let’s relate that to finances. Do you fear tracking your spending? Then it’s time you addressed that fear because fear says we’re not in control. Unplug from the Ego, confront the fear, and take back your power and control. So consider the thoughts you’re having that are preventing you from spending less, saving more, investing wisely, and giving generously. It’s likely your Ego is saying you can’t or shouldn’t or don’t know how. The pay-off for not changing is it’s a distraction from pain. Avoidance is a coping mechanism.
Stop the self-judgment and start using money as a tool to use skillfully to create the life you deserve. As Barbara Stanny says, “Focus on what inspires you and stop dwelling on what scares you.”
To learn more about Barbara Stanny, check out her website:
https://barbarastanny.com/
Linda Lingo
Financial Coach
Empowering Women to Embrace Their Wealth