When it comes to MONEY, you STRUGGLE WITH LOW SELF-WORTH
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How this STRUGGLE WITH FINANCIAL SELF-WORTH shows itself in your MONEY and life
You often find yourself questioning whether you truly deserve financial abundance. There's a nagging feeling inside that perhaps you're not quite worthy of prosperity, or that money should come to those who are "better" or "more deserving" than you. This internal doubt creates a complex relationship with money that affects many areas of your financial life.
In practical terms, this pattern might show up as consistently undercharging for your services or work. You might notice yourself apologizing when naming your prices or feeling the need to overdeliver to justify what you charge. At work, you might hesitate to negotiate salary or ask for raises, even when you know others in similar positions are earning more. There's often a fear of being seen as "greedy" or "money-hungry" if you prioritize fair compensation.
Another common manifestation is feeling a wave of guilt when spending on yourself. You might find it easy to buy gifts for others or support causes you care about, but when it comes to investing in yourself - whether through education, self-care, or even necessary purchases - you feel uncomfortable or indulgent. Meanwhile, you might be overly generous with others, picking up the tab or lending money even when it stretches your own finances thin.
Perhaps most tellingly, you might notice a pattern of financial self-sabotage. Just when things start going well monetarily, you might make an impulsive purchase, turn down an opportunity, or otherwise find ways to return to a financial state that feels more aligned with your internal sense of worth. Success might actually feel uncomfortable or like you're waiting for someone to call you out as a fraud.
5-10 Years in the Future: What Happens If You Don't Change
If this pattern continues unaddressed, the long-term implications for your financial wellbeing could be significant. Ten years from now, you'll likely find yourself in a cycle of financial underearning relative to your true potential and skills. The cumulative effect of consistently undercharging, avoiding raises, and undervaluing your contributions will have resulted in a substantial amount of unrealized income - possibly tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars you could have earned.
You might watch with a mixture of confusion and envy as others with similar or even fewer skills and qualifications advance financially while you stay stuck at a certain level. This observation will likely reinforce your inner belief that perhaps there's something inherently less worthy about you, creating a painful cycle of confirmation bias.
Your generosity toward others, while coming from a good place, might gradually lead to financial strain as your own needs remain unmet. This imbalance could create subtle resentment in your relationships and contribute to burnout as you give more than you receive. Financial stress might become a constant companion, ironically reinforcing the pattern as you feel less capable of changing your circumstances.
Perhaps most concerning is how this pattern might affect your long-term security. Retirement savings, emergency funds, and investments might remain insufficient as the gap between what you could earn and what you actually earn continues to widen. This reality will likely intensify feelings of anxiety about the future, creating a stressful loop where financial worry reinforces the belief that abundance isn't meant for you.
The emotional toll shouldn't be underestimated either. Living for years with the disconnect between your capabilities and your financial reality can lead to diminished confidence, increased stress, and even depression or anxiety. The consistent message you send yourself - that you don't deserve abundance - becomes more deeply ingrained with time, making it harder to break free from the pattern.
5 Ways to Overcoming Your FINANCIAL SELF-WORTH STRUGGLES
1. Create a "financial wins and value" journal Start keeping track of every positive financial moment and contribution you make, no matter how small. Did you negotiate a bill? Save money on groceries? Receive a compliment on your work? Help a colleague solve a problem? Write it all down. Include not just monetary achievements but also the value you bring to others through your skills, knowledge, and presence.
Make this a daily practice, even if it's just a quick note before bed. When you're feeling unworthy or questioning your value, read through this journal to remind yourself of your concrete contributions and capabilities. Over time, this practice builds a counter-narrative to the "not enough" story you've been telling yourself.
Try adding a section where you record compliments or positive feedback from others, especially related to your work or contributions. These external validations can help challenge your internal doubts until your self-perception catches up with reality. The journal becomes tangible evidence that contradicts your feelings of unworthiness.
2. Practice the "what would I advise a friend?" technique When making financial decisions or setting prices, step outside yourself by imagining you're advising a close friend with your exact same skills, experience, and situation. What would you tell them they deserve to charge? Would you encourage them to ask for that raise? Would you support them investing in themselves?
Most people find they're much more generous and fair when thinking about what others deserve versus what they themselves deserve. This exercise helps bypass your internal self-worth blocks by accessing your more objective judgment. Write down this "friend advice" and then challenge yourself to follow it.
Try creating a character or persona - perhaps your "business alter ego" - who has your exact same qualifications but none of your self-doubt. When faced with financial decisions, channel this confident version of yourself. What would they do? How would they justify their worth? This mental shift can create enough distance from your insecurities to take positive action.
3. Set clear value-based pricing and boundaries If you struggle with undercharging or overgiving, create a structured system that removes some of the emotional decision-making. Research standard rates in your field and create a clear pricing structure or salary expectation based on objective industry standards rather than your feelings of worth.
For service providers, develop packages with clearly defined deliverables and boundaries. This structure helps prevent the common pattern of continuously adding extra work or time to "justify" your rates. Having these guidelines written down gives you something concrete to refer to when self-doubt creeps in during negotiations.
Practice stating your rates or salary requirements clearly, without apology or excessive justification. You might need to script and rehearse these conversations until they feel more natural. Remember that clear boundaries around your compensation aren't selfish - they're necessary for sustainable service to others and your own wellbeing.
4. Create a "personal worth" spending category Many people with financial self-worth issues find it particularly difficult to spend money on themselves. Counter this by deliberately creating a budget category specifically for personal development, self-care, or items that enhance your life and work. Start with a small amount if that feels more comfortable.
The key is to pre-commit to spending this money on yourself each month. When it's already allocated in your budget, it reduces the in-the-moment guilt that often accompanies self-investment. Treat this spending as a non-negotiable expense, just like rent or groceries.
Keep track of how investments in yourself pay off over time, whether through increased skills, better health, enhanced productivity, or simply greater joy and wellbeing. This documentation helps reinforce that spending on yourself isn't selfish - it's a necessary investment that ultimately allows you to contribute more effectively to others as well.
5. Develop a "worth affirmation" daily practice Our beliefs about financial deservingness often operate at a subconscious level. Create a set of alternative messages to counteract these limiting beliefs. These might include statements like: "I deserve to be well-compensated for my skills and time," "Money flowing to me allows me to make a greater difference," or "My financial abundance benefits everyone around me."
Write these affirmations somewhere you'll see them daily - perhaps on your bathroom mirror, as a phone wallpaper, or at your desk. Say them aloud when possible, as speaking the words creates a different level of impact than simply reading them.
This practice might feel uncomfortable or even silly at first - that resistance is normal and a sign that you're challenging long-held beliefs. The goal isn't to instantly believe these new statements but to consistently introduce counter-evidence to your "not enough" narrative. With repetition, these new beliefs gradually become more natural and begin to influence your financial behaviors.
Your Next Step
Book a Free 15-Minute Intro Psychic Call to discover how your inner patterns might be influencing your relationship with money and how to align with your true abundance potential.
