WAY worse

For 13-year-old me, the worst punishment possible I could have received. WAY worse than a grounding! *Krrakkk* I turned around knowing what I was going to see, but praying—with the naive optimism that 13-year-olds excel at—that I was somehow wrong. No such luck. The toy car my baby sister had thrown at me HAD hit the windowpane behind me…and left a big, branched crack in the glass. I was going to be in soooo much trouble. Well, at least I was prepared for it. It’d been a week since my last “accident” anyways so I guess I was due for another grounding. Unfortunately, my parents decided (correctly) that groundings weren’t cutting it anymore and doled out a punishment I was not prepared for. They told me I was going to have to personally pay for replacing the windowpane. And the cost was going to be $100. That was exactly how much I’d saved in my baby bank account by teaching piano for the last few months. One $5 lesson at a time—my parents wouldn’t let me charge more. I tried reasoning with my parents first: After all, was it really my fault? Ellen was the one who’d thrown it! Unfortunately, my parents didn’t see it that way. (Probably because they didn’t believe me. I mean, Ellen was the good daughter.) Then I tried bargaining: Couldn’t I just get grounded for a whole month instead? Or even...What if I paid for the window from my future earnings? No go. Finally, I tried throwing a tantrum. It isn’t fair!! You can’t!!! I’ve worked so hard to save that!! That went about as well as you’d expect—my parents just ignored me and waited for me to tire myself out. At the end of all that, I lost my hard-earned savings. And it wasn’t until many, many years later that I realized I’d also lost something way more important in the process. When I first started developing my money consciousness—so I could transform my relationship with money and thus make and have more of it, with a lot more ease and grace—this was one of the first memories that came up. Why did it come up? Because I was trying to figure out why I couldn’t keep more of the money I was making in my business. It felt like no matter what I made, I would spend it all. And even though I’d tried everything, I just couldn’t keep or save more of it. Turns out, that punishment had solidified into what I call a Money Story: Experiences that you consciously, or often subconsciously, translate to mean something specific (and usually negative) for how money has to be for you. In my case, that Money Story had become: There’s no point in saving money. In fact...You can’t. As soon as you make it, it gets taken away. And it’s out of your control! So why bother? Whooooooa. Identifying that Money Story, as well as what I did afterwards to reframe its meaning - and thus my relationship with saving money - was one of the most pivotal moments on my journey to becoming a millionaire. Because every instance of when money feels hard—hard to make, keep, use, and have—can be attributed to a unique Money Story (or more) from your life. And if you can identify that story and reframe the meaning you’ve given it for that aspect of your relationship with money… You can change your entire experience with money. AKA: How much of it you make, keep, invest, and grow. But, if you’re like where I was—and most people new to money consciousness work—where do you even start? How do you even know what your Money Stories are, especially if you’ve forgotten them, the way I had? In my best-selling course, Self-Made, which I’ll be opening for enrollment tomorrow, I’ve broken out the 21 common Money Stories most of us have been taught. This way, you won’t have to worry about not knowing what you don’t know. I’ll walk you through each story and how to reframe it in a way that works specifically for you. So that you’re able to make more, keep more, have more, and use it to compound your wealth even further. If you’re excited to completely transform your relationship with money, so that you can become Self-Made, look out for more information tomorrow! Luisa Zhou PS - Looking back now, I’m wondering if the cost for replacing the windowpane was really $100 or if my parents just chose that number because that’s all I’d saved. Oh, parenting. The toughest job in the world! [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( [Unsubscribe]( Zhou Ventures, Inc. P.O. Box 2545 New York, New York 10163-2545 United States