Awareness + Skills = Financial Empowerment

I recently had a conversation with my business coach, Mel, about the word “empowerment”. I was complaining to her that I really want to use the word because the actual definition is exactly what I strive for in my coaching practice, but it feels overused, or, at least was overused for a period of time and now feels a little passé. She encouraged me to let those worries go and use the word that I actually mean and want to use. 

So, here goes! 

As a coach my ultimate goal is to cultivate financial empowerment for my clients. I want my clients to walk away feeling in complete control of their money and their financial decisions. I want them to feel confident and secure. I want them to feel so confident that they are able to approach financial work with a sense of ease. THAT is success for me! 

The way we get there (and I do mean we -- this is work that I do with my clients, not for them) is multifaceted: 

• We cultivate awareness in financial decision making 

• We uncover the root causes of positive and negative emotional reactions to money experiences 

• We identify skill deficits and fill those gaps with knowledge 

• We use tools (that I make) to compare options and make sound decisions 

And we do all this while keeping track of the big goals that my clients identify at the start of our work together. Sometimes the details of those goals shift over time, but the north stars remain. 

So it IS empowerment. The word might be past its prime, but the meaning is amazing and I’m going to use the term despite my “I-feel-kind-of-lame” misgivings. 

As always, I’m rooting for you.

XOXO

HOT TIP CORNER

Don’t let old credit cards close automatically! Keeping old cards, even ones you never use, is great for your credit score. Some companies will shut down accounts after a period of no use. Either make sure to use all of your cards at least once a year or call all of the companies and find out their policy.