More than 7.9 million viewers watched the twists and turns during the Season 3 opener of Downton Abbey ( the producers were only expecting 5-6 million and are so excited that their ratings match the big networks). This is one of the most popular shows this year, which is why I’m having so much fun writing about it and love the responses I am getting back from my readers. Money is a key theme of the show and I’m exploring how that relates to solopreneurs.
Last blog, I wrote about how the Crawley family was handling the possibility of financial ruin. A lot of core issues around money were popping up. There were a few characters I left out and I want to focus on one of them today.
Tom Branson, is the former family chauffer who is now married to Lady Sybil. “Branson”, as he was called before marriage, is now called “Tom” as he married into the upper class. Tom is a working class journalist. He and his new wife, Sybil, live a frugal life in Ireland, but there are more than the miles to separate their life styles. On his recent visit to Downton Abbey, he was asked to be the best man at the big wedding and agreed to do it. As a result, the drama played out bringing up all of his money issues which obviously effected his self confidence.
However, being full of pride, he did not want to borrow or wear the proper attire for the wedding. He wanted to wear his old brown suit, (that he always wears) while everyone else was in ‘tails. He was adamant about this and really put his foot down. Not until he was “persuaded” by the Dowager Countess of Grantham, did he agree to wear the suit.
This reminds me of many solopreneurs around the issue of money. The only difference is that Tom was more forthcoming about his feelings. He did not want to look like the upper class, act like the upper class or wear what the upper class was wearing. He would almost go overboard to prove how he would rather be “working class”. Whereas, from my point of view, the Granthams weren’t trying to change him, they just wanted him to honor the wedding and wear the appropriate clothes for one day.
From a big picture standpoint, that would allow him to relate to the others more equally, which is ultimately, something deep down that he desires. Tom is so full of pride that it gets in the way of him seeing that big picture of what’s really going on.
Many solopreneurs are so uncomfortable around the subject of money. They won’t talk about it with their clients, they won’t raise their rates or expand their programs. They stay stuck. I’ll hear comments, such as:
“I can’t take money if I’m a healer”
“Rich people are evil”
“It’s wrong to talk about money”
“Others have money…not me”
“I don’t want others to see me as rich”
With those type of beliefs, these solopreneurs end up repelling money into their business and life.
If you notice any of those same thoughts popping up that I just mentioned, I’d like you to also think about what you could actually do if you made more money. Things, such as :
- Save for retirement
- Contribute (if you aren’t currently) to your family expenses
- Pay for your children’s education
- Take more classes to become even more knowledgeable in your industry
- Start a non-profit or donate money to your favorite organization
- Hire more resources to grow your business so you can help even more people (and ultimately, isn’t that why you opened your business – to help people! )
The next step is to clear out those old beliefs around money so you can attract abundance into your life.
If you’d like help to up-level your business in 2013, send me a personal email at [email protected].
This is the forth blog in a series about Downton Abbey, where I tie in the aspects the show goes through and how it relates to our world as heart-centered entrepreneurs. Please share in the comment section below what you would do with additional income.
Be Brilliant,
Kate Beeders, Mindset & Marketing Expert
….Specializing in helping entrepreneurs get unstuck, get into action & get the cash flowing!!!
P.S. Kick 2013 off with a BANG! If you’d like help with that so you can FINALLY get on track to up-level your business this year, sign up for a Success Acceleration Session.
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