Self-Worth.Coach

10/31/2024

I don’t know about you but finding time for taking care of myself, working out, preparing healthy meals for myself, even time for working on my artwork is sometimes a challenge.

When I was married I was so in awe of my husband. He was a cyclist and three times a week, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday he went for a bike ride. He would usually be gone for over 2 hours but no matter what was going on in his life he didn’t let anything interfere with his training.

I would say I was going to go for a bike ride and if I had made plans with someone else to go I would but most of the time I let other things pull me away. I used to think it was because I had more to do than he did because I had my own business but that wasn’t it.

I thought I needed to put my client’s needs ahead of my own, get my marketing done, write that newsletter or blog post. Underneath my decision to put all this first was a fear that I wasn’t good enough, that I had to over give in order to attract and keep clients. There was also this constant fear that I wouldn’t attract enough clients or make enough money that month so I always felt pressure to do more.

It was incredibly difficult to trust that clients would find me and choose to work with me if I wasn’t marketing myself all the time or helping my clients in one way or another.

Then I realized that I am actually not helping my clients when I don’t take care of myself. When I don’t exercise regularly or eat well I feel bad physically and I’m not my best. When I let my fear take over, the stress of worrying interferes with me being the best coach I can be. Add to that that I work with my clients on having good work life balance and I wasn’t doing it myself which made me feel out of alignment with my values.

So, now I work at putting myself first. I put post-it notes up around my home to remind me that “I come first”. My first inclination is still to put off time for me but now I see those post-its and they remind me of the commitments I have made to myself to treat myself with the same care and respect I give to others. I would never cancel an appointment with a client or friend so it’s not ok that I do that to myself.

If you have problems finding time for yourself and have found other things that help you put yourself first please shoot me an email. I would love to hear what you are doing.

10/25/2024

As a creative professional, you pour your heart and soul into your work, but are you reaching the audience that truly values your talents? If you’ve ever felt unsure about how to find the right audience for your work in order to grow your income, I’ve created a workshop just for you.

This one is a face to face, live workshop to help you grow your business by finding your ideal clients and sales partners. It will be held in Evanston Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.

This 3-hour workshop is designed specifically for creative entrepreneurs like you—artists, designers, holistic practitioners, and more—who are ready to turn their passion into consistent income.

WHAT YOU'LL DO:

Define Your Business Intention
Set clear goals that align with your personal and financial desires
Identify Your Ideal Client: Discover who truly values your work and learn how to connect with them
Choose the Right Sales Channels: Explore the outlets that match your audience’s preferences and habits

By the end of this interactive session, you’ll leave with a personalized roadmap and a 30-day action plan to start engaging with the clients and sales outlets that will help your business thrive.

Details:

FIND YOUR AUDIENCE: UNLOCK YOUR INCOME POTENTIAL
Live Workshop

📅 Date: Wednesday November 13, 2024

🕒 Time: 9:00am-12:00pm

Location: 927 Noyes St. Studio 211

Evanston, IL

Why Attend?

This workshop will give you the tools and strategies you need to grow your business by connecting with the clients who need and appreciate your unique talents. You’ll not only gain clarity around your business goals but also create an actionable plan to start seeing real results.

Whether you’ve just started selling your work or are looking to grow your income, this workshop will give you the insights and confidence to take the next steps. Plus, you’ll be getting support and feedback from a community of like-minded creatives to give you a better understanding of the benefits you provide to your clients so you can make sure you are reaching out to those that will want to buy what you offer.

Ready to take the next step?

CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT:
https://self-worth.coach/find-your-audience-2/

PS: If you know any creative entrepreneurs that aren't meeting their sales goals I'd appreciate you letting them know about this workshop.

10/09/2024

GET THE DETAILS HERE: https://self-worth.coach/get-your-financial/

09/26/2024

https://self-worth.coach/get-your-financial/

I often hear people talking about having difficulty getting themselves to finally set up a budget, put a plan together to get out of debt or figure out how they can possibly save money when they feel like they have no money left at the end of each month.

Money can be the cause of so much anxiety. It can make us feel guilty, ashamed or worse like a failure. Imagine though what it would feel like if you finally got this all handled and could wake up tomorrow knowing you kept your word to yourself and didn’t have to think about all of this anymore.

As a money coach I wanted to find a way to help those who feel this way so I created "The Get Your Financial Sh*t Together Intensive"

It's a program to help you get your finances in order in one day.

Until October 11th I will be offering this one to one coaching session for over 50% off of my usual coaching fee.

I will only be accepting 15 people at this reduced price so if you are interested book your session before it fills up.

You can learn more about the program here: https://self-worth.coach/get-your-financial/

If you want to chat to see if this coaching session is right for you please get in touch. [email protected]

09/16/2024

THE URGE TO SPLURGE

Struggling to stick to a budget?

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You’ve probably tried many different ways to master your money and build wealth.

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Most financial coaches will tell you to cut up your credit cards, save every cent you can, stick to your budget and pour money into the stock market.⁠

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However, as you may have experienced, these strategies often lead to eventual disappointment.

Why? Because they overlook the crucial mental and emotional aspects of handling money.

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I don’t believe you can transform your finances until you transform your mindset.⁠

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After all, your mindset shapes your habits and behaviors, which in turn influence your financial outcomes.

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If you try and change your behavior WITHOUT shifting your thoughts and understand what is behind your actions, it’s unlikely to stick. And that’s why so many people try and “fail” to budget, or save. So let’s take a look at what might be behind your urge to splurge.

Several of my clients make very good incomes and yet are equally in debt. They are great at what they do and very successful but haven’t uncovered the reason they overspend. Often they work really long hours so they don’t have the energy to make meals for themselves and their families. Instead they choose to either eat out, order in or order meal kits. This all costs them a lot of money.

They also are exhausted, so they may plan to take vacations often. A lot of these trips aren’t fancy overseas trips but they add up. These clients tell themselves that they deserve to take these trips because they work really hard.

Because they feel depleted they often also buy themselves treats. This may be clothing, accessories, massages, beauty treatments you name it to make up for the fact that they feel like no one is there to help them.

So take a look at the last three paragraphs. What would you say is behind their spending? Correct, they are working way too hard and what they really need is to take some things off of their plate. No amount of spending money on vacations, easy access food or treats are going to solve the problem that they are overworking.

So, what would solve the problem for these folks? Asking for help both at work and at home would take the pressure off. Next we need to look at the reason they haven’t tried to lighten their load in the past.

Our hesitation to ask for help may come from feeling insecure or we may get some boost to our ego from imagining we are the only one who can do the job well. This helps us feel more important. It can mask our feeling of not being good enough or loved.

In both cases the people in our lives may be getting the message that we don’t need or want their help. Those are the issues then that we need to work on. How can we feel valued without killing ourselves and heal old wounds to improve self esteem.

That is the secret to overcoming over spending. You want to look to see what the need is under your spending and solve that problem.

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Managing money does not need to feel like an uphill battle anymore.

Instead, it can be a delightful and fulfilling experience.

Let me help you uncover what is behind your spending or other financial behavior that is keeping you from having the life you want. I can show you proven systems to manage your money and build wealth that are enjoyable and allow you to fulfill your financial goals!

I’ve helped hundreds of people get out of debt while building savings, have money to invest, build generational wealth, and create the life they desire.

Ready to take action and see results that stick?

Let's Talk: https://calendly.com/self-worth/15min

08/29/2024

Earlier this week I was thinking about when I was younger how much my friends and I loved to answer quizzes in the magazines we purchased. We would sit on my bed and ask each other all the questions. Then we would compare our answers.

Often they were quizzes to help us figure out what kind of boy would be our best match or what type of clothing would make us look the best. Sometimes we would spend hours doing this.

I’ve been trying to find ways to make dealing with your finances more fun so today I have a quiz for you to help you see how financially secure you are.

I broke the quiz down into 7 categories. In some cases I wrote sentences. After the sentence say yes if you agree with the statement or no if you don’t. The others are yes or no questions.

The "ARE YOU FINANCIALLY SECURE?" Quiz:

Instructions: Answer each question honestly with "Yes" or "No" or say yes if you agree with the sentence or no if you don’t to assess your current financial standing.

1. Daily Life:

I am never too stressed out or afraid to look at my monthly statements?
I have enough money to pay my bills regularly.
I pay my bills on time each month.

2. Budgeting:

I have a good system for tracking my spending.
I plan for my income and spending monthly before each month begins.
Do you spend only the amount you planned to when you shop?

2. Dealing with Emergencies:

I have at least 3-6 months of living expenses saved in an easily accessible emergency fund in case I lose my job or become ill and can’t work for a time.
I have money set aside in case of an emergency (For example if my car needs repairs).

3. Debt Management:

I pay the balance on my credit cards in full every month.
I know how much debt I have, including credit cards, mortgage, car loan, student loans, etc.
My credit score is 700 or better.

4. Savings:

I contribute regularly to a retirement account.
I am saving money for my dreams, like travel, furnishings, buying a home, or starting a business.

5. Investment Portfolio:

Do you have a diversified investment portfolio that aligns with your risk tolerance and long-term goals?
Do you know how much money you will need for your retirement?

6. Financial Awareness:

Do you regularly review your financial statements and track your net worth?
Do you understand key financial terms like "interest rate" and "compound interest"?

7. Major Purchases:

Do you research and budget before making significant purchases like a new car or home?

SO HOW DID YOU DO?

Scoring:

Mostly "Yes": FINANCIAL WELLNESS ACHIEVED!

If you answered "yes" to most of the questions, you're in great shape. Things can always be better, but there are no major red flags and that's a great sign that you're doing it right.

Mixed "Yes" and "No": TAKE THIS AS A WARNING

If you answered "no" to more than one or two questions, that's a reason to be concerned. Not all warning signs are equal and the fact that you only answered no to a very small number of the questions suggests that things are very fixable. You may require adjustments to your financial plan to improve stability but you are doing OK.

Mostly "No": YOU'RE IN THE DANGER ZONE

If you've answered "no" to three or more of these questions, it's time to take action. Three problems may not seem like many, but financial problems have a habit of growing quickly. Debt creates more debt. Missed payments lead to bad credit, which makes debt and credit more expensive, which makes debts even harder to pay, and on and on.

Consider developing a comprehensive budget or spending plan and seek some help to enhance your financial security.

No matter how many problems you're experiencing, there are solutions out there for you. Don’t despair. I can help you understand your situation and teach you the skills you need to tackle your biggest financial challenges.

Do you have any other questions about this quiz? If so just respond to this email and I'll get back to you.

I’d love to hear how you did.

Please respond to this post and let me know what you learned from taking the quiz and if you feel like it, use me as an accountability partner and send me a promise though messenger outlining what you plan to do to improve your finances with a date of when you want to have accomplished things. Please also leave me your email so I can easily get back to you.

I will check back in with you to see how you are doing to help you reach your goals.

If you need some help putting things in place here is a link to my calendar. I'd love to talk to see if I can be of help.

https://calendly.com/self-worth/15min

08/15/2024

Most people at some time in their lives feel fearful or anxious about money.

Perhaps you are feeling fearful right now. If you are what is it exactly that you are afraid of?

Some people worry that they aren’t making enough money to cover everything they need and want. Others, are overwhelmed by debt or worry about never being able to save any money for special things or retirement.

But here's the good news: You can overcome these fears and take control of your financial future.

Money fears can affect you deeply keeping you from experiencing joy in your life and sometimes affecting your sleep and even your physical well-being. It will also limit your vision, getting in the way of you seeing new possibilities. As a part of my community, I don’t want you to feel that way.

I want to help you overcome your fear and discomfort and be able to become all that you wish to be so that you can contribute all of your amazing talent, creativity and beauty. I want you to be able to feel confident about your financial future and know deep in your bones that you are safe and secure.

So below, I’ll share 5 steps that’ll help you overcome your money fears quickly…

Step #1: Define what financial security means for you

It’s important to be specific about what you want and understand what financial security means to you.

Take out a sheet of paper and write down what it would take for you to feel safe and what is needed to alleviate any anxiety you experience. It could be having a certain amount of savings, a specific monthly income, or being completely debt-free. This clarity helps you set a clear goal to work towards.

Step #2: Journal about what your financial worries are!

Answer the question, what are my biggest fears when it comes to money?

Make sure you include all of your concerns. Imagine the worst-case scenario and acknowledge the emotions it brings up. The simple act of writing them down and speaking about them directly can help reduce the power these fears.

Maybe you’re afraid that if you don’t make more money you’ll lose your home, maybe it’s that you won’t be able to go back to school so you can shift careers to something you really love and can make more money at. It could be that you are imagining having to take a job that you hate so that you have enough money to pay your bills this month. Whatever you are thinking it’s important to get it all down.

Then ask yourself, how likely is it that these things will happen? We often imagine things to be worse than they actually are. We forget about how resourceful we really are and that it is unlikely we will put ourselves in jeopardy.

Step #3: Make a list of 20 things you can do today that will solve the problems you listed above

We tend to be blind to all the many ways we can bring in money. Check in with the wise financial expert inside of you and ask for help identifying 20 ways you can solve the problem easily. This list might include things like:

Going through your closet and selling some things
Selling some jewelry you no longer wear
Offering to babysit a friend’s children
Helping a friend with their social media posts
Asking a friend or family member for a loan

I once quit my job and had no savings and no other job in my sites when I left. I wound up making this kind of list. It was in October so I decided to make some hand painted Christmas and Chanukah cards to sell. I wound up selling hundreds of them and that gave me money to live in for months while I figured out my next steps.

The idea of the list isn’t necessarily that you will do those things, it’s more to show you that there are many ways to bring in money that you can use if you need to. Just knowing you have options will help alleviate the anxiety.

Step #4: Create a debt repayment plan

If being debt-free is part of your financial security and feeling safe, first see if you can find some ways of reducing the interest charged on the cards you have. Then choose one card and focus on paying off that one card. It can either be the one with the highest interest rate or the one with the lowest balance.

I worked on the one with the lowest balance first so I could see results faster. You pay the minimum due on all the other accounts and then pay as much as you can safely afford on the one card you choose to focus on. Make sure that your repayment plan is realistic so you aren’t putting money towards repayment that you have to have to pay for your current needs.

To help you create a plan and see how quickly your debt will be paid off you can go to https://undebt.it/ and use their snowball calculator and it will show when each debt will be paid off. It's a great motivator.

Step #5: Break through your financial set points

Most people have a financial set point – a level of income they’re used to and find hard to surpass. It was the same for me. You can break the cycle by first identifying what your set point is (how much money you are truly believe you can make) then look at your thoughts and history to uncover what you are telling yourself that is keeping you from increasing your income. For example, you may have a belief that you are too old so you tell yourself that you have to stay at a job where you are being paid poorly because no one is going to hire someone your age.

Here is another journal prompt: What am I thinking that is getting in the way of me being able to make more money?

For this one it might be helpful to write a letter to your wise inner self. So you would address the letter, Dear wise inner self and then ask the question. Then on another sheet of paper address the letter to you from your wise self and see what that part of you writes to you.

First name / friend, it’s normal to have fears about money, but you don’t have to let them control you. By taking these steps, you’re moving towards financial security and freedom. If you need help overcoming your financial worries please get in touch.

After taking these steps, let me know how it’s working for you by replying to this email.

I look forward to hearing from you!

07/31/2024

This year has been one of review. I have spent a great deal of time looking back over my life and reconnecting with old friends and lovers that I had lost touch with. I have also been taking a good long look at how my thoughts over the years have affected the results I have experienced in my life.

When I was in grade school and high school there were a few girls I adored but was also really jealous of. I thought they were incredibly beautiful and they had a kind of magnetism that just drew people and opportunities to them. People just wanted to be near them and know them. I recently realized they had a lot in common.

These women were:

Very creative and were confident about who they were:
Disciplined even driven to do the things they were good at
Committed time and energy to their craft because they were confident that They would succeed on those paths.
Protective of their time and sometimes that meant they wouldn’t have time for social activities but they didn’t seem to care.
Comfortable with being loved, admired and supported.

One was a dancer, one a musician and one a visual artist. They expected success and each of them in their own way received it. Things came to them fairly easily.

I on the other hand didn’t have a sense of who I was. I felt awkward, unattractive and unsure of myself. I decided that I would have to work harder than anyone else in order to succeed thinking that things didn’t come easily to me.

DID YOU GET THAT? I DECIDED THAT THINGS WOULDN'T COME TO ME EASILY AND FOR A LONG TIME THEY DIDN'T.

I had to change my mind about who I am and what is possible and increase my expectations.

I had to decide that it was ok to be super successful and that I was capable of achieving way more than I ever imagined.

I had to expect to make more money in a month than I had previously made in a year.

I had to believe that it was possible for good things to happen without having to work hard to earn it.

I had to imagine that I could have a business that allows me to use all of my talents even though they seemed unrelated and still be able to attract enough clients.

I started to really listen to what I say to myself and discovered that a lot of times I scare myself unnecessarily and don’t trust myself or the universe to provide for me.

My business has some seasonal down times when business is slow. During those times I sometimes have gotten very fearful and thought that I have to really hustle to get some new clients. I didn’t realize during those times I was imagining and expecting struggle and worse. Then in spite of the actions I took, often business was slow to pick back up.

As I was talking to prospective clients during those times I was thinking about how I had to get them to sign up for coaching or a class so I would bring in some money instead of really being in the conversation with them and focusing on how I could help them. I let my fear run the conversation. I think they must have felt that desperation and they often never followed through with the sale.

The other thought I discovered is that I believed that I had to do things in a certain way in order to attract more clients and money.

That if I didn’t have a great website, social media post, enough people on my email list, you name it, that I wouldn’t be able to have a sustainable business. I wasn’t open to it happening easily and effortlessly. I had to begin to tell myself that I can attract money no matter how much stuff gets done or how things look.

I’ve also had a thought that money had to come from the work I do.

That it wasn’t good enough to have someone give it to me, find it, win it or just have it materialize. For some reason I felt I had to earn it to prove my value.

AND THERE IS ANOTHER ONE, I THOUGH I HAD TO PROVE MY VALUE.

That it wasn’t OK just to be loved, paid and valued just for being me.

These thoughts are dangerous and insidious.

Part of this is also recognizing that money doesn’t come from anything in particular that I do or don’t do. That it is always there for me if I let it in. Just because I exist.

I just have to be open and listen to my inner guidance system and I always will have everything I need.

So what are the things you have been thinking and saying to yourself that have been limiting the joy and abundance you experience in your life?

I would love it if you would share them with me.

Contact me for a complimentary session to see if I can be of help:
https://calendly.com/self-worth/15min

07/16/2024

06/21/2024

For those of you who live in the Chicago area I would like to share with you an upcoming event at Thee Old Fishbowl Gallery on June 30th, featuring the incredibly talented Skokie-based artist John Wangendo.

Originally from Kenya, John captures the beauty and spirit of children and residents of Africa with his charcoal drawings. Each piece tells a story, often explaining the significance behind the subject's clothing and expressions.

Don't miss this opportunity to experience John's art firsthand and support the local artist community:

Location: Thee Old Fishbowl Gallery
602 Dempster St. Evanston, IL
Date: Sunday, June 30th
Time: 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
RSVP: [email protected]

Thanks so much,

Sheryl

05/15/2024

We get our paychecks and then we just spend the money getting to the end of the month wondering where all the money went. For most of us the whole purchasing process in on auto pilot. We see something we need or want, something that catches our attention, we open our wallets and plunk down a card and pay.

Rarely do we check first to see if we have the money and even less often do we check to see what other expenses are coming up in the future that we will need to have money for. Even when we make good money we can still wind up in debt with little understanding of how we got there and no memory of what we spent the money on.

That leaves us feeling guilty, embarrassed and filled with shame.

For a lot of us shopping is kind of a high. Literally.

When we are shopping the pleasure center in our brains starts to light up our prefrontal cortex and the part of our brain that helps us make logical decisions shuts off completely. So, we are soothing ourselves when we shop just as much as if we were taking a drug. We go into a state where our good feelings get turned on and our ability to make wise decisions turns off. No wonder we have such a difficult time fighting off the urge to spend. We begin to feel like we just have to have it. Whatever it is.

There are obvious consequences to this behavior. Credit card debt, fees for over drawing your accounts, little to no savings and most important not having the money available to fund your dreams. Things like buying your dream home, going back to school or starting your own business get put on hold indefinitely because you are living paycheck to paycheck.

I want to be clear though I am not promoting the idea that you should never go shopping just for the fun of it. I just want you to be providing yourself financial security and safety first.

So where do we begin.

Our mindset and self-concept are at the center of this issue.

The first thing to ask yourself is “How do I see myself in regards to money and what do I say to myself?”

I can’t tell you the number of times clients have said to me:

I’m bad with money,
I can’t be trusted with money,
I am not disciplined enough,
I’m a spender,
I’m always in debt even though I’ve tried over and over again to get out of it.
I will probably be in debt for the rest of my life.

We say these things as if they are facts, intrinsic truths that can’t be changed. Then we find evidence that supports these “truths”.

If you see that your current beliefs are giving you negative messages it’s time to change them. Ask yourself if you feel comfortable with your current spending and purchasing habits. To change we need to debunk these views of ourselves and create new beliefs about how we relate to money and then create evidence that proves our new self-concept.

You want to feel that you are spending your money wisely and with intention on things that give you pleasure over time and that do not keep you from having money for your dreams as well as the necessities.

As a wise shopper you want to pre-plan your shopping trips by making a list of what you want before you go to the store. Ask yourself if you will still be glad you bought this item next week or next month. Slow down the purchasing process. Often if we wait a day before we buy the urge will subside.

Recently I heard a speaker, Paige Pritchard on the Moneynerds Podcast that my colleague Whitney Hansen hosts. Paige has a great method to help you break the habit of impulse shopping.

She suggests keeping a list of the things you want to buy.

It works like this:

When you see something online or in a store that you want take out your phone and put it on a list using a reminder, list, or notes app on your phone. You can describe the item or take a picture and make sure to include the price.

Wait a while and see if you want to purchase it later. If you still want it and it has value and you have the money for it go ahead and buy it. If you don’t get it after a month or two add up all the money you saved by not buying those things. Also look to see how much you saved over a year.

You can even use this method for tracking when you have an impulse to pick up food on the way home from work. Each time you fight the urge and choose to eat something from home instead reward yourself by adding it to your list and counting the money you saved.

She suggests making it like a game to see how much you can save. I think this is a fantastic method to help you overcome the desire to make unplanned purchases. You can give yourself a target of how much you want to not spend and then a prize (nothing too expensive) when you reach your goal. This is a great way to show yourself that you can control your spending and that you are good at managing your money.

Changing your behavior will take time so be patient with yourself.

An accountability partner will really help with this.

If you would like some help getting your spending under control and if you have any debt getting it paid off let’s talk and see if I can help.

You can schedule a time here:
https://calendly.com/self-worth/15min