It’s tax season, which means whether you like it or not, you have money on the brain. What came in, what went out, what you owe, what you kept, what it all means.
For a lot of people, it’s the one time of year where you can’t avoid the conversation.
And for some of us, that’s… uncomfortable.
Because it forces a level of honesty we’re not always practiced in. About what we earn, what we keep, and how we feel about both.
I, myself, grew up in a Preppy Handbook version of wealth. Understated to the point of invisibility. You don’t turn on the heat. You don’t wear anything flashy. You don’t talk about money. And then you quietly write a six-figure check like it’s no big deal.
No one ever said it outright, but the lesson was there. Money was something you had, not something you talked about.
And without realizing it, I internalized something deeper than just behavior. I absorbed a belief system that money and meaning didn’t quite belong in the same room. That if you were creative, there had to be some level of struggle attached to it. That if you were spiritual, you couldn’t also be materially successful. That wanting both a rich inner life and a rich outer one was somehow off.
It sounds obvious when you say it out loud. But for a long time, it quietly shaped how I showed up, what I asked for, and what I believed was available to me.
And then at some point, I saw it clearly.
Not as truth. As a story.
And once I saw it, everything started to shift.
This is the work I end up doing with my coaching clients all the time. They come to me thinking they want to break into a higher price point. Bigger deals, more sophisticated clients, a different tier of business.
And yes, there are tactics. Positioning, strategy, proximity.
But more often than not, we’re not solving a marketing problem. We’re uncovering a money story.
The agent who feels more comfortable in the $1M range but hesitates at $5M. The one who over-explains their value to a wealthier client. The one who subtly self-selects out of rooms they absolutely belong in.
That’s not about skill. That’s about belief.
Because every price point has an identity attached to it, and if your internal narrative doesn’t match the room you’re trying to enter, you will feel it. Your clients will feel it. And your behavior will quietly reinforce it.
Breaking into a higher level of business isn’t just about getting in front of different clients.
It’s about becoming someone who believes they belong there.
And that’s an inside job.
Coaching Corner: Your Money Story
If you want to start identifying your own limiting beliefs around money, begin here:
- What did I learn about money growing up, explicitly or implicitly?
- Who did I believe was allowed to have a lot of money, and who wasn’t?
- What do I associate with wealthy people? What judgments or assumptions come up?
- Where do I feel discomfort in my business when money enters the conversation, whether that’s pricing, commissions, or negotiations?
- If I were earning at the next level, what part of me feels resistant or uncertain, and why?
Don’t rush this. These answers are often quiet, subtle, and easy to overlook. But they are shaping far more than you think.
Tax season has a way of forcing a kind of honesty. The numbers don’t lie.
The question is whether the story you’re telling about them is actually true.
You don’t need to become someone else to earn more. But you may need to let go of a story that was never yours to begin with.
And once you do, the work, the clients, and the opportunities tend to meet you there.
