How to be a money magnet

Women gather slightly nervously in a small meeting room, ready to divulge some personal details. They talk informally about where they’re from and their jobs. One is a hair stylist, another has her own catering business and a property developer chats to a jewellery designer. They all look and sound very successful in their own ways, yet they have one thing in common: money issues – they want to learn how to attract more of it.

They are taking part in a Money Magnet workshop, run by Marie-Claire Carlyle, author of How to Become a Money Magnet and the newly published Money Magnet Mindset. While they’re happy to discuss their personal relationships, some find it hard to talk about salaries, bank accounts and spending. And while they’re comfortable about taking risks in other areas of their lives, it becomes clear that their sense of adventure doesn’t extend to their finances.

Marie-Claire explains that the ‘law of attraction’, which states that we attract the things we want in our lives, can be applied to money as well as ideal partners, children and dream jobs. If we feel anxious about debt, then we’ll be sending a message to the universe that we need more anxiety and debt. To attract more money, we must give off the impression of being a wealthy person and that means letting go of worry, and feeling at ease with cash.

“If you view money as a game, then it becomes fun,” reveals Marie-Claire. “Look at what you have in your bank account, and work out what you could do to double it. Apply some creativity to your money. For example, if you’re a physiotherapist and you need to earn a large sum quickly, devise a package that gives your clients a free session if they book six months’ treatments in advance.”

To find out their money beliefs, they hold a note in their hand and focus on it before writing down their thoughts. Some people confess to getting a lump in their throat or shaking when they are confronted by money, while others feel it’s dirty. Some feel excited because they want to go out and spend it immediately.

Next they look at how they treat money. One woman confides that she gets rid of it to friends, family and charity as soon as she can, while others spend it on designer clothes and luxury skincare products. Hardly anyone saves or invests it. As answers are written down, little light bulbs go on in their heads. Ramina, who spends her salary on beauty treatments, realises that she isn’t really a career woman at heart. She just wants someone special to cherish her.

Others see they are repeating their parents’ mistakes. Sal realises she is copying her mother’s squandering on household gadgets she doesn’t need, while Nina has her late father’s avarice and refuses to spend money on anything other than sheer necessities. She even uses his exact words, “Money doesn’t grow on trees” to her kids. “Your beliefs are really powerful,” says Marie-Claire. “They direct your unconscious thought patterns, which in turn create your reality.

By answering these questions about money, you get insights into how you really
feel about the subject and, as a result, why you have as much or as little money as you do in the bank. Once you’re aware of your beliefs, then you can begin to challenge and change them.”

Our first experience of money is often a clue about how we will feel about money in the future, says Marie-Claire, and several participants confess to stealing money from their parents’ purses. One recalls having a weekend job in a fashion store where she spent her day’s salary on clothes before she even received it. To heal feelings of guilt, Marie-Claire suggests that those who stole money as children should consider paying it back, or at least giving the amount they stole to a charity.

Once their attitudes change, the women get more creative and ambitious. They take part in a ceremony where they announce that they are ditching their old beliefs and are ready to become ‘money magnets’. Almost immediately, the atmosphere lightens and the women seem to blossom, looking younger and gaining energy.

As they examine how they can attract, save and make more money, the hairdresser decides to publish a list of her charges so she doesn’t undersell herself when charging clients, while a writer decides to publish an e-book. A bookworm will start using the local library or charity shop, while an accountant who spends most of her salary on beauty treatments is going to offer her bookkeeping services to a beauty therapist friend in return for facials and massages.

Some decide to share lifts to work and save petrol, while others announce they will go for a run instead of paying expensive gym fees. Every participant says she could save money by making shopping lists and planning menus for the week ahead, instead of going to a supermarket and buying whatever takes her fancy. They end the workshop by stating an amount of money – for many, it’s a year’s salary – and then listing three ways they will earn it.

The catering expert, who three hours earlier wanted to launch her business in the north of England, is now going to contact some A-list celebrities she knows and work in the Caribbean, while the jewellery designer is going to attend wedding fairs where competition won’t be as fierce, and re-establish contact with a glossy magazine for some publicity. The property developer is going to take some equity out of one of her houses to buy another to rent out, while a writer is going to send a book she has already written to a film agent.

Buoyed by their new beliefs, big dreams and renewed hope, the women are excited to go home and get to grips with their finances. In just a few weeks, big steps have been reported – one stay-at-home mum has returned to education after 16 years and started a college course, while a young office worker has bought her first home. “Miracles happen when people follow their passion,” says Marie-Claire. “Don’t think ‘how?’ Think ‘wow!’”

How to attract more money….in six surprising ways

1. Get playful. Imagine you won Dh50 million. Write down how you would spend it. This will give you a clue about what you really want from life. Having a vision of what you would do with the money is a far more powerful way of attracting money than just focusing on the cash itself.

2. Know your money - Go through all your accounts, bank books, files and paperwork and see how much money you have. Next, work out how much you spend per year. See where savings can be made. Many of us have standing orders that we set up and forget about. Experiment, and pay cash for everything for a week. When you hand over cash for items, it seems far more real than paying by card.

3. Clear your clutter - To have more money, you need to create space and make way for new energy. Look at the areas of your life that are cluttered. It may be your handbag or briefcase, your inbox, your bedroom or your office. Every time you see them, they will sap your energy. Get to work and get rid of anything that you don’t love, find useful or keep tidy.

4. Save money - If you don’t have a savings account, start by putting coins into a jar. Just doing this will start to retrain your mind. Look at ways you can save money on everyday things – take a packed lunch to work instead of eating in restaurants, or a flask of coffee instead of buying three lattes a day.

5. Write a cheque - Write yourself a cheque for the amount you want to receive, then pin it up where you will see it regularly. Your subconscious thoughts are influenced by what the subconscious mind sees, so something such as a cheque is perceived as real. Similarly, collect images of how your life would be if you had more money, pin them on a vision board and put it in a place where you see it every day.

6. Stop feeling sorry for yourself - Don’t focus your energy on things that aren’t good in your life. When you have a ‘poor me’ attitude, you will attract even more bad luck. Instead, think of yourself as a lucky person and see what riches come your way. Start the day happy, and imagine how you would feel if you had achieved one of your goals. Smile at yourself in the mirror. Find positives where you once would’ve found only negatives.

For information about Marie-Claire Carlyle’s transformational coaching and workshops, go to www.marieclairecarlyle.com