Hello! Welcome to the 34th episode! Before we get into our episode on what to do when you aren’t having a great money month – I forgot to mention something when recording the previous episode!

Drum roll –

In June, the podcast hit 1,000 downloads! Yeay!! 🎉
It actually happened right after Ardelia’s interview was released! I had already wrapped up Eve’s interview at the time, but I totally forgot to mention it on the last episode. But that is okay, because we are celebrating now! Wooo!!

Now back to the episode!

So, you aren’t having a great money month. Things didn’t really play out as planned, maybe some payments closed out, or a launch didn’t go quite as well as you wanted it to. Or, you got sick.

Whatever the reason, it just isn’t going so great.

First, don’t start getting down on yourself. That doesn’t help, and actually, it will harm yourself and your efforts to change course.

KC Davis, Licensed Professional Counselor and author of How to Keep House While Drowning, actually wrote in her book that giving yourself grace gives you space and eventually motivation to deal with the thing at hand.

Shame can sometimes give you a temporary motivation. But it comes at a high cost. Trust me. Eventually, you may avoid the thing you actually need to deal with, and it will do emotional harm that won’t just affect this one area, but all other areas of your life as well.

Second, know that this happens to everyone. Whether you are making a couple thousand dollars a month or a couple hundred-thousand, everyone has rough months.

For example, I know May this year was a tough month for a lot of people at all different points of their businesses – myself included.

Don’t get me wrong though, when your livelihood depends on there being good months, it does really hurt. And it can be really scary. I’ve been there too.

So I don’t want to minimize the difficulties that happen when your livelihood is dependent on there being good months. And that when you have bad months, or not so great months, things can be really precarious.

There’s a big difference between “we just don’t have as much in the business account this month,” verses “well, maybe I have to re-look at my food budget or my gas budget for this month because we just didn’t bring in as much as I needed it to be.”

That’s a very real situation and one that is really difficult. So if you are at that place, my heart especially goes out to you. Reach out for support, use the things available to you, and keep listening.

And we can also hold the knowledge that it happens to everyone. That it doesn’t mean a downward business spiral. That it can be better the next month.

Thirdly, remember that you’ve figured things out before. Whether this is a precarious month for you or it’s not a great month, you’ve gotten through other difficult times or situations. You’ve gotten things done, asked for help, and shored up your resources when you’ve needed to.

It is no different when you aren’t having a great money month.

You can trust yourself to get through it, to figure things out, and do whatever you need to do.

And if your brain is having particular difficulties remembering that, or believing that when you say it to yourself, look for the evidence. When things have been difficult – either a little less difficult or more difficult than the situation you are in now – you got through it.

Write those times down. What did you do? How did you get through it? What resources did you tap into? What support did you tap into?

Give your brain that evidence because you can trust yourself.

Points one, two, and three are all important things to remember because they will make it less difficult to do the next steps which can help turn the month around, or set things up to be better the next month.

And those steps are as follows:

1. Return to your plan and get strategic. If you don’t have a plan, create one. Are you inviting people into your offers? Is the transformation clear? What other testimonials and examples can you provide? Are there concerns? Etc. The things you know to go back and do and address. The things that you know tend to be the most poignant or salient for your audience. Go back to those things.
2. Check in on your mindset. Blocks can pop in without you even realizing it. If you have the Limitless Money Mindset Journal, use it. Or do some work with the free affirmations and reminders booklet. Links for both are in the show notes or on my website at shelbymelissa.com
3. Do the energy work. This will add some oomph to all the other things you are doing. And for me, because I do energy work in a sort of meditative space/state, I have also found that it is helpful in, kind of relaxing. Taking off some of that stress. So, you know, bonus!
4. And keep going. I literally just had a message from a client TODAY that said she was so happy that she put in the work last year, because it is paying off for her right now. No, you don’t have to wait a whole year for things to get better. But you do have to keep going. So keep going. Rest when you need it. Take breaks when you need it. But keep going.

And this isn’t really a step, but also a reminder, kind of both. You also don’t have to do any of this alone. Lean into your community and your supports – including your coach if you have one. Depending on their expertise, they can help with mindset, strategy, the energy work, etc. And when you have those moments when things feel really big, allow yourself to be held. Your coach, your peers, or your loved ones – each person in your support network can hold you in different ways, and may even be able to help you break down your next steps with you so things feel more manageable for the moment.

Plus you never know who is able to support you in what ways until you reach out and you ask. You tell them what’s going on, and you ask for help.

But at the end of the day, I want you to remember this – you’ve got this. And this situation, this not great money month, won’t last forever. It does get better. Keep going.

And if you aren’t already in the Money Mindset Shift community on Facebook, come join us. The link will be in the show notes. Reach out. We are a community. We are there to support each other. You don’t have to do this alone.

But you’ve got this. And it’s not gonna last forever.