Growing up in a modest trailer in the Deep South, money was always a tricky topic in our household. While my parents generously donated 10% of their income to the church, meeting the monthly bills was often a stretch. Hand-me-down clothes were a norm, a reality many can relate to.
I learned the value of hard work early, thanks to my parents. By age eight, I was picking strawberries to earn my own money. However, I didn't really grasp the concept of money management.
Like most kids, I spent what I earned. This trend lingered into my 20s – I was stuck in a loop of earning and spending despite a steady income from nursing.
Earn money. Spend money. Zero money.
Despite countless budgets, the same pattern emerged. That is until a shift in self-image happened.
I started envisioning myself as a wealthy woman and explored what that identity entailed - how this version of me thought about, grew, spent, and valued money. The realization hit; this new financial persona departed from my earlier narrative.
Curious about this transformation?
In today’s podcast episode, I dive into this journey from earning pennies in a strawberry field to navigating the path of financial literacy and abundance.
Welcome to The Wealth Within Issue.
Wealth Is Like a Garden. You Have to Tend to It...
For a long time, I felt like my financial garden was barren – as if I'd been given a patch of land with infertile soil.
I used to think I could make only so much money – like I had some pre-determined limit. I was very good at proving my belief that I was no good with money - and what a self-fulfilling prophecy that was!
Then, one day, I realized I wasn’t confined to that desolate plot. My financial garden's fate was in my hands – I simply needed to nurture the right mindset.
I stopped listening to the internal message that someone like me couldn’t cultivate financial freedom.
I began spending time in “lush gardens” until they felt as familiar as my backyard.
My understanding of abundance evolved. It wasn’t just about the ornamental roses or the showiest blooms. True wealth was rooted so much deeper than that.
I shifted my focus away from the weeds in my wallet and practiced feeling the richness of everyday life until I felt abundant on the inside.
Today, I live a life of financial freedom I never thought possible. I wake up excited about the opportunities before me instead of worrying about making ends meet.
I'm investing in my dreams - growing my business, traveling the world, and sharing my bountiful gifts. In other words, I am tending to my money garden.
Tilling and reshaping my financial landscape has been one of my most transformative journeys. The beauty of it is that you can do it, too.
Every gardener has the same tools. You just have to get them out and use them.
On Abundance With Ingrid Seger-Woznicki
Two weeks into SOSI, I let go of ¾ of my wardrobe.
That was a massive step for me because my parents were survivors of WWII and, as a result, gave me tremendous scarcity thinking.
This scarcity mindset showed up in different ways on a daily basis.
I kept clothes that no longer fit, I didn’t like or were out of style (“My future daughter-in-law might want this- fashion comes back around, after all!” Isn’t it amazing how creative we can get to justify behavior that doesn’t serve us?).
It was deprivation-based thinking that ran very deeply. I felt enormous guilt for throwing out just about anything, no matter how bad the item's condition.
SOSI helped me realize how exhausting it all was.
Recently, I was putting on stockings and noticed a run; I was about to reach out for my clear nail polish when I thought, "Bless your dear heart ... get yourself a new pair....in your cupboard...YOU DID IT...YAY!" I couldn’t help but laugh at my train of thinking.
Incidentally, I'm all for sustainability. Abundant thinking encompasses thoughtful repurposing, too. For example, I collect pretty jars and love restoring old furniture to bring it to its former glory. Let’s just say that minimalism has become my new abundance.
The Money Garden Challenge
You can’t work or earn your way out of a bad relationship with money…
But you can cultivate new habits, thoughts, and beliefs that will become the seeds of a life that feels genuinely wealthy.
This month, join me inside The Money Garden Challenge
Tend to your wealth. Watch it grow.
And make money feel beautiful.
Flipping the Script on Scarcity
In this episode, I delve into the idea of scarcity and its impact on our money mindset and beliefs. I’ll share a story about a wealthy woman who was nonetheless terrified of losing her money. I learned what abundance truly means when visiting a small Costa Rica pueblo. Abundance doesn’t come from wealth or belongings but rather from our belief in “enoughness.”
In today’s podcast, I’ll encourage you to reject scarcity, believe in yourself, and recognize that there’s enough to go around. Let’s dive in!
// TheEDIT
A weekly digital magazine by the School of Self-Image
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