Why is money such a taboo topic?

As a child money was one of my favorite subjects, when it popped up in conversation, I perked up.  Now as an adult I love to talk about money.  But have you ever noticed that it gets bushed off?  Or hushed up by someone?

Why?

Let's look at what money means?  Whoa, already a big topic!  Money means all different kinds of things to different people. Here are some examples of what money means to some people:

Money is a tool
Money is a resource
Money is a game
Money is fun
Money is survival
Money is never there when you need it
Money is elusive
Money is confusing
Money is stressful
Money always shows up when you need it
Money comes and money goes
Money is natural
Money is like air
Money is a prison
Money is the master...

Insert your own beliefs...

So are we actually talking about money or are we actually talking about something else? 

That is exactly why the topic of money can be so difficult, because, often you don't know how the other people in the group see money, and very often there are people in any given group that are trying to hide what they actually think about money.  What you're actually talking about is a philosophy about how you think the world works, and your experience of life.  

Many people are very attached to how they think the world works.  They learned the "rules" from their parents, teachers, mentors, and friends, and now they are trying to win in this game of life with the "rules" that they learned.  Where this becomes difficult is if you think these rules in life are concrete.  

There are many benefits to believing the rules are set in stone.  You have a stable sense of community when all the people around you are operating in the same set of rules.  There are certain unspoken things that you man have become accustomed to, that give you a sense of peace, of stability, of belonging.  There are also many disadvantages to believing how life works is set in stone.  If you are playing a game, and somebody else was playing by different rules, wouldn't you want to know?  If you knew that by picking different rules the game could be easier, would you pick different rules?

When there are different sets of rules that come up against what you thought, what happens?  You might feel inspired, or freed, but more than likely, you may feel threatened or insecure.  Nobody talks about this, about the disconnect that someone might feel, about how learning that some people believe life works differently that how you believe.  

There can be a compassionate way to bring someone into your way of thinking without telling them that they way they have been living is the hard way, and they have been wasting their energy up to now.  Because often if someone believes "money is hard", and they talk to some one who believes "money is fun,"  in order to keep their self concept intact they might make make up the story that the other person is a cheater, or corrupt, or who knows...  Its incredible how attached some of us are to our beliefs, and how possibly unstable shaking those beliefs could make our world.

This is where acknowledging that somebody else's road may have been very difficult, AND there is another way.  AND is key.  Validating what they have been through to create those beliefs is also key.  And simply offering a different perspective.  AND, VALIDATING, PERSPECTIVE, the three big keys!

I believe that is why the topic of money can be so challenging, because more often than not, you are not actually talking about money.  The conversation actually involves a whole system of beliefs and philosophy that govern life.  If you change your philosophy then you change your life.   From now on if the topic of money comes up, can you clarify your beliefs first, before  jumping into the topic; this way a conversation about money can actually be about money.

Do you want to upgrade your life? 
Schedule a consultation today, to see how things could be even better for you!

Wishing you abundance in all areas of life,
Jessica

Hello!

I'd like to share this restaurant quality meal that costs under $10.  I wish I could just press a button and I'd have this meal ready everyday, it was so delicious!  

For those of you that have been following me, know that I eat to heal and keep my gut healthy.  I eat as high fat as I possibly can most of the time, and always include something green!  I don't like meat though; I learned that some people call my style of eating keto-terrian.  Eating healthy and cheap is a passion of mine, so here you go!

Ingredients:
Fish:  This time I bought wild caught cod.  I always choose wild caught, and usually the cheaper of the selection.
 
The fish was cooked in cilantro and parsley, garlic and green onion,  I only put salt and pepper this time.  I use Celtic Sea Salt, because its naturally higher in trace minerals.  Do your research, or e-mail me and I'll find & send you the info I learned that from.

Then place the fish on top of guacamole.  I made my guacamole, for this meal, I don't always. In this guac, I put  olive oil, salt and green onions, and an entire lime.  This avocado was gigantic, it could have easily served three people.  But I love guacamole, and I will never let it go to waste!

And pronto, an incredible and beautiful meal!

 If I was cooking for a larger crowd, I'd spread out the guac, probably give each person a slightly smaller portion of fish, and make a nice giant salad.

This meal cost me about $7, and I always buy organic, wild caught, highest quality... SO adapt to suit you budget.

Bon appetite!

Hello!

Have you ever considered that what you eat might influence how to handle your money?    I believe that our diet massively influences all of our choices, including how we handle your money.  But the only way that you can know for sure; if how you eat influences your money habits, is to test it out, and see how your diet influences you.

More specifically I am talking about sugar.  Sugar is in so many things, and its incredibly addicting.   Sugar affects our health and happiness in all kinds of ways.  So if you'd like to test out this theory, I will share my experience, and how I cut out sugar.

Once I cut out sugar I had NO cravings,  which was amazing, and my skin got way better.  I noticed my allergies got a little better, I didn't have the constant congestion that I had grown used to, and just thought was normal, as well as many other things.  But my favorite was not having any cravings at all!

If you are going to embark on this experiment, have lots of compassion for yourself.  Cutting out sugar is not an easy thing to do.  You will "slip up" and that's ok, just get back up, and do your best.  If you keep trying to do your best it will naturally become easier and easier.  Here is what I did:

Keep a food journal.  Use google calendar or ical, or a little notebook.  This will be important for you to recognize any trends.  Its very hard to remember what you ate three weeks ago.  And record your successes!

Focus on breakfast.  Eating a huge meal in the beginning of the day is so much easier than at the end of the day.  Its when you naturally feel more ambitious that you will succeed.  Focus on eating high fat will keep the cravings away for longer.  If you eat bread and cereal then chances are you will be hungry again not long after.  High fat keeps you satiated for longer.  And you want to make sure to include something green in every meal.  I ate vegan keto for a while, its possible.  Things that are high fat and vegan are avocados, nuts, and coconut oil.  Its hard but it is possible.  I am not preaching vegan, I just want you to know that its possible.

And why high fat?  High fat will keep you more full for longer.  This is key in not craving sugar.  I'm not a doctor, but I believe that it helps to stabilize your blood sugar for longer.  I say this because I notice that when I do crave sugar its the first sign that I am getting hungry.  If I wait too long after that signal then I cave and eat something sugary.  Though this is really rare for me now.  And it just so happens that I am usually in the store at this time... that is when I will buy something I crave or want, and will rationalize before I even knew what happened.

Make sure you are fully hydrated.  I read somewhere that often we crave something because we are actually dehydrated.  Things that are hydrating is water, fresh squeezed juices, not store bought juices (though that's better than soda) and non-caffeinated tea.  Pay attention to your body and what makes you feel the best, as well as what is easiest for you to drink.  I love water, but I do notice that I drink way more water when I put a little something in it - an emergency packet, in a very large water bottle, a green juice supplement packet, a piece of fruit, mint...  If I do the packets, I will make them very diluted, so it almost tastes like nothing.  Also I think a water tracking ap is amazing, this really works for me.  There are plenty of free ones.

Compassion and Commitment.  These are both key to becoming completely sugar free.  You are not bad or did not make a mistake if you eat something sugary.  If you REALLY want that donut, eat it.  But be super conscious, really savor it, don't inhale it and then feel bad about yourself.  Do not go for the cold turkey approach.  I don't think this works with sugar.  It might work for you, but my process took me about 4 months before I was totally sugar free, and had no cravings.

I believe that eating high fat, lots of vegetables and drinking plenty of water are key to becoming sugar free.  But you could also slowly cut out some things.  You could eliminate sugar the last hours of the day, and slowly keep adding more hours.  For example.  No sugar after 8 pm, the next week, no sugar after 6 pm, then 4 pm, the 2 pm...  You could also do it a different way, maybe cut out all cakes, then all cookies, then all pastries, then all added sugar, then carbs, then alcohol...

Unfortunately carbs and alcohol turn to sugar when you eat them, so while doing the experiment, I would suggest to cut out both carbs and alcohol for a little while, so see how your body reacts.  And re-introduce it one at a time, again to see how your body reacts.

I think its much better to focus on what you want to add in, rather than resist.  For this reason I prefer to focus on eating high fat, lots of vegetables, and drinking lots of water instead of what you are trying to avoid.

So how will all of this benefit you financially?  You will see, it will be different for each of us.  But what you'll notice is a little more calm in your life, due to a more balanced blood sugar.  This will help with any extreme emotions like sadness, anger, anxiety, and stress in general.  We often make not as great decisions when we are in a stressed mood.  The desire is to feel better, for some of us spending money will perk up our mood.  Conversely, if in a stressed out mood, and you have to make a decision in that moment, you may not make the best decision.  Money can already be stressful for a lot of us, so we need everything we can to be supporting us.  You'll also notice your productivity go up, which could attract new opportunities!

And as far as food purchases go, you'll be spending your money on things that bring you greater health, once you have eliminated all cravings.  Greater health means more vitality, more life; and less medical bills!*  IF you have cut out sugar and you still have cravings, then most likely you are eating something that you are allergic to, or you might be depleted in a critical mineral.  You could do the fog map diet to figure it out.  You could also work together with a nutritionist.

*If you do have a lot of medical bills, and are looking to reduce them by changing your diet, a food journal or even a health journal is critical.  You'll want to include your overall emotional state, your hydration, maybe work with your doctor to have blood tests done.  Also make sure to record any natural sunlight you got each day, as well as exercise, and over all energy level.  Also any correlations that you think might be related.  Like if you saw someone that stresses you out, if you have mold in your home...  I believe making real change and seeing the results with medical bills will take at least a year, maybe a lot more, so this will take some commitment.

I hope that you enjoyed hearing about what worked for me to cut out sugar.  I love it.  I do not crave sugar at all, and I love that it saves me money!

Wishing you love, health and wealth!
Jessica