My mom and I have this running joke where we refer to our dining rooms as the “shipping and receiving room”.

It’s funny… because it’s brutally honest.

When Mr. Bezos launched his penis-shaped rocket into the sky, there was a part of me that thought: “I definitely helped fund that…”

And as much as I hate to admit this to you, it’s important: The part of me that is a seeker in life… also finds deep enjoyment in purchasing things. 

From home decor, to plants, to clothes…

From gifts for others, and online courses…

To books… oh. my. god. the books.

As someone who was diagnosed with ADHD late in life (more on this later)… it makes sense that a part of me is constantly dopamine seeking. That I enjoy the chase and pursuit of buying delightful things.

But then there is the other realm of this.

Our world operates on a constant hum of marketing. It is EVERYWHERE.

From within the articles we read. To the sports teams we watch. Advertisements and tools of marketing are in everything. 

And because of this, we are taught at a very young age that the happiness, joy, balance, fun, ease, love that we seek… is to be found out there.

This is a topic that comes up frequently within our own home. 

My oldest LOVES stuff. Stuff is AWESOME to him. And like any good politician… he explains emphatically that he is just one move away from the BIG thing that will meet ALL his needs. 

It started at a very young age for him. I even remember the day something broke in the home and he said: “Don’t worry Mom, we can just Amazon another one.” (aka rocket funding)

My four year old had used Amazon as a verb. Talk about a reality check.

Over the years, we have tried to make a conscious shift. We are trying to live up to the values of EXPERIENCES > THINGS. 

But this isn’t the easiest path to take.

In order to be able to say no to external marketing ploys… we need to feel fully resourced from within. Or as Trevor Hall sings: I have everything I need.

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Self-love offers us more than protection against consumerism, however.

It allows us to step into our full worth. On a deeply innate level.

Everyone has a money story… trust me. No one gets a free pass on this one (pun intended?). 

And our money stories run DEEP. For most, the thread gets heavily snagged in the realm of scarcity. Of not having enough. Of there not being enough to go around. Of us not being worthy enough to receive.

It’s as if we were all taught that starting long ago there was only one pie for the entire world. And while we each get a slice, some get more, some get less. End of lesson.

But that isn’t how this works at all. 

Now let’s be honest, I can’t deconstruct something this massive within an email. But I CAN offer you glimmers.

I can share with you the shift that I have felt in my own life, and the shift that I have witnessed in others. 

From expanding our financial literacy, understanding our inner narratives and stories, to owning our true level of worth… self-love directly affects our money story. 

This shift brings confidence in managing finances with independence and authority. In making financial decisions from an empowered state that mirrors our innate worth. 

We break free from limitations by challenging stereotypes and limiting beliefs about women and money. 

We invest in ourselves. 

We empower ourselves to make wise financial decisions that build an abundant present and secure future.

All through self-love.

xo