When I first started working with groups of women who were looking for more in their lives, more feeling as well as more connection and the very real more money, more opportunities, and more love, the first thing I would ask them to do is figure out an amount of money I could hand them without them feeling like they had to do something in return for me.
We would do an exercise where we went up or down in the amounts so they could feel their body or mind allowance or hesitation.
Everyone has a price they say and this demonstration can help you figure out yours.
“That’s not what that saying means, Vicki.”
I know that, but I’m an opportunist when it comes to analogies. This isn’t about you being for sale, this is about you realizing your value, and since we all use money, it’s effective.
The critical aspect here is not having to earn it and receiving it for the sake of receiving.
Try this yourself and see if someone were to hand you money or anything that has value to it, would you be able to accept it? I have had a lot…A LOT…of challenges with this in my lifetime. So, I get it. At 53 and some change, I can receive with more grace and practice what I wrote ten years ago! Proof that we often have to hear, read or practice something multiple times before it becomes a habit.
“What does this have to do with asking?”
Well, if you can’t receive, you likely don’t know how to ask for what you need or want. They travel together as annoying little cousins until they become sweet cousins with practice.
Learning to ask for what we want can feel foreign when we may have been taught it was selfish to only think of ourselves. It can create a feeling of looking over your shoulder to see if anyone is watching you take that second cookie from the cookie jar.
The thing is, though, there are cookie jars for everyone. Everyone gets their own, and it is deep and never needs filling up because that is done automatically by your desire for more cookies. So, not asking is like having a never-ending cookie jar and not liking cookies.
Who doesn’t like cookies? Oatmeal raisin for me, please.
If this seems complicated, perhaps tune into the podcast this week, where I give specific guidance and ask questions that will help you delve into your hesitations with receiving and asking.
See what I did there? I’m asking you to listen and subscribe because it makes my heart go pitter-patter and ups the podcast reach.
What will you ask for today?
Best,
Vicki Baird
P.S. If you'd like a transcript of the podcast, check out Episode Transcription