“ 'cause money won't change you
I said money won't change you (Hey, hey)
No, money won't change you
But time is taking you on (Uh-huh)
Yeah (Yeah)”
- Aretha Franklin, Money Won’t Change You
It's time to talk about money and value. Welcome to Solo Worklife Meditations. If you work alone most of the time and experience that mental chatter that's a little bit too strong because there's nobody to bounce your stress off of, then you are in the right place.
Are you a business owner, solopreneur, digital nomad, remote worker, or content creator? If so, these meditations were crafted with you in mind. If you're new here, welcome. This meditation is part of the Solo Worklife Meditation project, which includes a podcast, YouTube channel, and a newsletter. The newsletter contains the new episode information plus, I'm sharing things that are helping me through my own solo workday. For example, in the last newsletter issue, I shared these three grounding moment: a movement that’s super hip opening, a coffee video of joy, and a daily reflection activity that decreases our isolation. You can check all this out at solowworklifemeditations.substack.com. This is a three part meditation. The first part is an affirmation, the second a breathing exercise, and the third is a small body movement.
You can be sitting or lying down, however you feel the most relaxed. However, please do not do this meditation while driving.
Close your eyes if that's comfortable for you. If not, you can stare at something if you like. It's okay. In fact, if you want to look at something beautiful, feel free to view the image on our YouTube video version of this podcast. They will always be relaxing images that I've taken myself.
Money, abundance, and our value.
These three things are deeply intertwined for pioneers like us, aren't they? Doing what we do in isolation can feel like an economic and emotional roller coaster a lot of the time. But it doesn't have to.
I have immense value.
The elation when we start reaching a level of financial success is unmatched. Well, mostly (giggling).
I have immense value.
But what goes up usually comes down, especially when we're first starting our projects. This dip in our finances can feel like a rejection of our self worth because we are so connected to our project. That passion is beautiful, but it can also be damaging if we don't keep it in perspective.
I have immense value.
We have so much value. Much of it can't be quantified at the moment or even ever. But it's there. Money is important to live, but it is separate than our value in this world.
Say it out loud with me three times so your brain hears it, your heart hears it. Your soul understands it.
I have immense value.
Spend some time on that word immense. It's there for a reason. Let it take up space.
Let it be big. Just like your dreams, your hopes, you, your personality, your value. Immense.
Two more.
I have immense value.
I have immense value.
We do need to take care of ourselves and our loved ones, so the financial pressures can be quite high. I would never pretend to say you'll make it in the end. You might not. This might not be the project for you, but that doesn't lessen your value. Adding a layer of emotional stress to your solo workday will never help you reach any financial or personal goals. It's just going to deteriorate the quality of your life. We don't want that. We want balance and grounding and peace inside our hearts, our souls, our brains, our mind.
I have immense value.
There is a certain amount of faith and planning that needs to exist in our solo worklife. We need to know that there will be peaks and valleys financially, and we need to plan for them. We need to plan our finances, we need to plan our business, we need to plan our energy, and we need to prepare our emotions for the ups and downs.
I have immense value.
We will succeed. We will fail. These are both true. To what extent these will happen to you depend on a combination of your efforts and many external factors that you can't control.
I have immense value.
The only thing you can do is try, plan and remember.
I have immense value.
Let's shift over to our breath.
Now we're going to breathe in through one nostril at a time. Let's start with the left nostril. To breathe through your left nostril only gently place a finger on your right nostril until it's closed. Keep your finger there.
During this exercise, take one long breath through your left nostril and immediately breathe out through your left nostril. Keeping your finger on the right nostril like this.
Breathe in. (inhaling sound) Breathe out (exhaling sound).
Let's do this two more times on the left side before switching to the right.
Breathe in. (inhaling sound) Breathe out (exhaling sound)
Breathe in. (inhaling sound) Breathe out (exhaling sound)
Getting grounded can help us see the big picture and the amazing way we're adding value to the world, even if our finances may not directly show it.
Remove your finger from your right nostril and now put a different finger on your left nostril, gently holding it closed while you breathe through the right one. Take one long breath through your right nostril. And immediately breathe out through your right nostril. Let's do it three times.
Breathe in. (inhaling sound) Breathe out (exhaling sound)
Breathe in. (inhaling sound) Breathe out (exhaling sound)
Breathe in. (inhaling sound) Breathe out (exhaling sound)
Sometimes it helps to keep a brag file or notes on small wins to help us remind ourselves of our value during rougher times.
Do whatever you need to do to prepare for these times. Being ready for this doubt will help you push through it.
I have immense value.
And remember, you can always repeat this episode when you hit these challenging moments.
As we wrap up this meditation, we're going to work on our lower legs. This is super simple. While sitting down, stick your legs straight out in front of you, or mostly straight out, and just shake them around. Maybe side to side, maybe up and down, maybe diagonal, maybe all over the place. Whatever feels good.
There's no wrong way to do this except thinking it's too silly to do. As long as you're moving them around during this time, you're taking up space and releasing stuck energy, even stress.
Good.
We want you to be relaxed and present in your solo worklife.
Feel free to put your legs back on the ground now.
Are your calves pulsing just a little bit? Mine are a little tingly and pulsy, and it feels lovely. Don't worry if yours aren't. We all react differently to movement.
Remember, as you go back to work, remind yourself,
I have immense value.
The ebb and flow of solo work life can't be controlled. But by planning certain aspects of your projects and emotions so that you're ready for the downs, not just the ups, you'll have a smoother ride.
And that's what we're here for, to make this journey a little less stressful and isolating.
Feel free to open your eyes now.
Thank you for joining me for this meditation. If there's an aspect of solo work life that you'd like me to focus on in one of these episodes, just let me know. There's a link in the show notes or video notes for you to submit your ideas. I'd love to hear from you.
Also, you can find out more information about the project at solowworklifemeditations. Substack.com
okay, get back to work now (giggle)