Making Money with Purpose

by Suzanne Masefield

Being an entrepreneur and being in business in its simplest form is about making money. Making money for the individual and stakeholders to grow the business is a priority.

Conscious or Unconscious

Money is a great motivator, whether we are motivated consciously or unconsciously.  We can either be repelled by it due to experiences and beliefs we may have or we may be excited and driven by what we perceive it can give us.  Or we sit somewhere in the middle and let money generation just happen or not!

In the business world making money is most certainly the biggest driver at this point in history as we see from the news stories around the world on the recession over the last few years, and the misery lack of it has created.

We have also seen stories about companies and individuals so driven by the desire to obtain money that they have by passed any thoughts or consideration for fellow humans, the environment and other living creatures on this planet to meet their conscious or unconscious needs.

Working with many clients over the last 17 years I have seen people sit at varying ends of the spectrum on the subject of money.  I have seen many clients driven by the desire to generate money believing that it will solve all their problems.  I have also seen very successful people with large amounts of money who have discovered that ‘having money’ did not generate the nirvana or life they believed it would give them.

Growing up with ‘making money’ being king, due to parents experiencing war times (lack & scarcity), alongside watching many famous people (the family business was in the music industry) torn apart from making huge sums of money overnight and not being able to handle it. 

I found myself adverse to making money for many years as I saw that on
its own, it did not generate happiness (however much you had) and could
cause a lot of misery if not managed consciously to work for you purposefully.

The saying ‘money does not buy happiness’ is true but the lack of it as I 
Discovered does not either! 

So it is a given if we are an entrepreneur and in business part of that equation is going to be elevating our money status. 

Adding conscious awareness of ‘Why’ (our purpose) and ‘How’ (actions) we choose to do this, makes the difference between our ability to create long term sustainability AND happiness, or a quick fix that doesn’t reach the corners of our business to fill the gap we have been looking to fill in life.

Drivers and Purpose

Defining your drivers to bring Conscious Awareness and purpose to making money adds more depth and quality to business dealings, relationships and ultimately your life. 

Start to uncover your drivers by taking some time to work through the following exercises.

It has been suggested that as humans our main 2 drivers in life are:

  • To avoid pain
  • To gain pleasure

Rate the list below on a scale of 1-10 (1 least important, 10 most important) to uncover what drives you regarding money. 

Do you want:

  • Status/Power
  • Recognition
  • Security
  • Freedom
  • Not to experience something from your past
  • To make a difference
  • Other (write your own)
  • Organise these in order of priority the highest rated at the top.
  • Identify which category your drivers fit into – avoiding pain/gaining pleasure?

Example:  Primary driver = Security.
Making security your main focus/purpose allows you to consciously develop risk management strategies (safety/clear boundaries) to feel more secure in order to step up to greater freedom and success in your business.

Conscious awareness and personal development are a choice - they are not a ‘have to’!   As many people have discovered over the years, you can survive without doing things consciously, whether you truly thrive in another matter. 

However from my experience of years working with business people, choosing to understand your motivations empowers personally and increases the ability to generate purposeful wealth, not just money.

As a Conscious Entrepreneur uncovering your motivations and purpose around money is Step 1 of taking charge to generate greater and more authentic leadership of business and your life.

Suzanne Masefield
www.thinksuccess.co.nz

Suzanne Masefield is Director of Think Success Ltd. & Synergy Effect Coaching. 
She is a Writer, Presenter, Facilitator and Executive Coach.  Co-author of the ground breaking book ‘Align, Expand, Succeed – shifting the paradigm of entrepreneurial Success’ and ‘101 ways to enhance your career’, Suzanne empowers people to take more authentic leadership of their lives and business, developing a stronger foundation from which to successfully soar to new heights.

Receive a FREE E-Book from entrepreneurs from around the world ‘Insights on Creating a Conscious Business’ - Contact Suzanne@thinksuccess.co.nz

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