Finding My Self Worth

I hope you all have been enjoying your summer here in the northern hemisphere. It's crazy to think that the long summer nights, lightning bugs and wearing flip flops almost everyday is coming to an end, and being replaced by nice afternoons, and the crisp nights of fall. All while wearing our favorite sweaters and hoodies.

I'm not sure what your summer all entailed, but mine focused on improving my mindset. Ten years ago I went through a huge mindset shift. I was super depressed and didn't think highly of myself. I had zero self esteem and was conforming to what was considered "normal" and was doing what everyone thought you had to do to make it in this world. I went to college. Got a "real" job, and worked in corporate America for over five years. Miserable and wondering what the point of life really was, when I was 27 or 28 I started group coaching sessions that eventually moved to personal life coaching sessions. Before then, I saw therapists and physiologist and not seeing results or feeling like they were listening to me, I felt stuck. This doesn't mean they aren't helpful and aren't great at their jobs. I now know that that avenue wasn't right for me. Just like everything in this world isn't right for everyone.

Anyways, to get back on track, it was when an old coworker emailed me that she was becoming a life coach, and was looking for people to help her practice her skills that I found what I was looking for. She was the life coach I first started seeing that opened the door to my mental wellbeing. I am so grateful I found what I needed in life coaching. It did in fact transform my life. Life coaching helped me work through years of bottled up feelings, depression, feelings of worthlessness and wanting to kill myself. The group coaching sessions, followed by years of one-on-one coaching were what gave me my ever growing confidence and feeling comfortable in my own skin and my continuous growth of my own self worth.

What the great thing is, I am continuing to grow every day and every year. Here I am, ten years after I started on my journey to my mental wellbeing, and even though I had a year hiatus from coaching, I felt like and do feel I am ready for more.

This summer I worked hard on my self worth and focused on my financial worth as well. I have made so many big strides in my life. The area too my life and money, I feel has fallen behind and has been stuck in quick sand. When I feel I'm making it out, I get sucked back down, and any sudden movements are going to suck me down even further.

I have been reading self help books around money. "You Are A Badass At Making Money," by Jen Sincero has been my bible. I also took her online course and focused on improving my money mindset which was worth every penny. I will admit, I didn't reach my financial goal that I made at the beginning of the course, but my money mindset transformed so much and this course and book jumpstarted all the hard work I have done and continue to do.

Jen Sincero led me to reading more self help books, but what I am so grateful for, and what has really been a godsend, was finding Kathrin Zenkina and Manifestation Babe. I love her authenticity and her wisdom and honesty. When I was taking Jen's digital course, I was looking for ways to grow my mindset outside of just reading books. I thought what would be another avenue? That's when I considered podcasts. I knew I could listen to these in the car, which I drive around a lot for work, so that time is perfect. I started listening to a few different mindset podcasts, trying to find the right one, when I came across the Manifestation Babe podcast. Her subject matter focuses around money. What I didn't realize was my beliefs around money and myself (which I have been working on forever), and this podcast made me realize I still have more digging to do about myself and my beliefs about me, in order to improve my money beliefs!

I know I still have a ways to go. But these past three months focusing on improving my thoughts around money have made a difference. My thoughts have changed for the better and when I hear people I know (or don't know) talk about money, or not even money, just everyday things, it made me see and realize how the words I say shape my life. I didn't realize my words were still negative and were then creating that same negativity or lack in those areas. I guess looking back I did to an extent, but all the work I did in the summer made me understand how my thoughts and what I said affected my reality with money and other areas too.

I am finding it funny in a way. All those years I worked on making myself better with group and life coaching, I am seeing that the work I am doing on my money mindset is the same. It all comes back to how you feel about yourself, your self worth and if you do in fact deserve to have financial abundance. Looking back over the past ten years, with all the growth I did make and obstacles I had to overcome, my life journey is never over. There is still personal growth that can be done. Layers that still need to be removed to become your best self.

These past three months I have uncovered so much about myself and what's been holding me back in this department of financial abundance. I have laughed, cried and gone duh! Why didn't that click before! But everything happens for a reason, and the Universe, or Higher Being, God, whatever your beliefs are, have had my back. They always have. Like with my road to self discover a decade ago, I had to be open to the signals. I had to take my blinders off in order to see them. Every day I work to remove the limiting beliefs that have been holding me back. I can't wait to see where this journey to financial discovery is going to take me. One thing I do know, is it's going to be epic.

Thank you, Morgan Freeman

The other day while I was scrolling through Facebook, one of my friends had posted this image of Morgan Freeman with one of his quotes on it.

As I have been working on myself and have been improving my mindset to live a happier life inside and out, this really resonated with me. It reminded me that I am in control of my life and how I choose to perceive it. I can't allow others to control how I'm going to feel on any particular day by what mood they are in or something they said to me directly or indirectly.

I hope this little quote of inspiration and wisdom from the very wise Morgan Freeman has sparked something inside you and has given you a little friendly reminder, just like it did for me.

Live on dear readers, and stay strong as you navigate through this life:-)

Money, What Kind Of Relationship Are We In Here?

So I've been wondering what to post this week. I've been having a hard time as all my posts ended up sounding depressing! I've been going through a lot of emotions lately. I've been working on improving myself with a lot of self help books and courses. Especially when it comes to money. This is one area that I have always struggled with and continue to struggle with. As I have been working on improving my mindset around money, it's crazy all the bad thoughts I have towards it and myself!

But, I am pushing myself to improve this part of my life. I'm sure like me, there are some of you who lack money and have a lack mindset around it. You stress every day about if you're going to have enough and hope and pray your next paycheck will be enough to cover all your expenses. Like food. I have had more times than I'd like to admit where I wondered if I'd be able to afford groceries. Then get excited when I work my part time job because it provides me with one meal per shift (life saver!). I have had many weeks of ramen noodles (and my body doesn't agree with gluten) and rice and beans (the kind you buy in a bag and have to soak).

Although some weeks are hard and can be stressful, I am working on bettering my mindset and not looking at my money in a form of lack, but being grateful for every penny and dollar I have. I am fortunate to still be able to eat and have a roof over my head and a car to drive me to and from all my events and my job. If you are like me, try to keep a level head. I know this may sound hard and you are probably thinking, girl, how can you have a level head when all you can afford most days is Ramen!

Believe me, I have been known to stress and freak out. I have witnesses to prove my insanity about money lack. But if there's one thing I've been learning about money, just like with everything else in life, what you think about you bring about. My steps may seem small right now, but I'm saying my affirmations and I'm continuing to read books on money mindset. Let's just say this is a work in progress.

If you are like me, I encourage you to start taking little steps towards bettering your money mindset. I've personally been reading "You Are A Badass at Making Money" By Jen Sincero. It's a great place to start!

What are some things you do everyday to better your money mindset, or to keep a more positive mindset in general?

Happy Father's Day

Last night I went and saw Rocketman. For those of you who are unaware, I am a huge fan of Elton John. I have always been drawn to his music and his wonderfully crazy fashions. So when I saw a preview to a movie about him, of course I had to go see it. Even though I am a fan of his, I didn't know much about his personal life. I'm really not one to dig in to the personal lives of famous people. I just like to enjoy their talents. But seeing Rocketman, I never felt so connected to a famous person before. There were many things that happened in the movie that I could relate to when I was growing up. To make a story short, Elton had two narcissistic, emotionally abusive parents, that wrapped up into one, make up my dad.

Reading this, you may be wondering how this can be a good Father's Day story? I am blessed to have an amazing mom, but sadly, after years of trying to make a good relationship with my dad, for my overall wellbeing, I estranged from him. Even though I no long am in contact with my dad, I do know many wonderful men in the world. Many of them are wonderful dads and have shared their compassion and wisdom with me, and I am grateful that they have been there to show me that there are decent fathers and decent men out there.

For those of you who have an amazing dad, make sure you let him know it. Don't take him for granted. I hope you were able to celebrate with him today, and if you don't live near him, I hope you were able to give him a call. If your dad is no longer with you, I hope you remembered him and honored his memory.

For all of you emotionally uplifting, supportive, loving dads, I am wishing all of you  a Happy Father's Day. I hope it was a special day for you spent with your family and filled with love and joy.

Who's an artist?

Hey all. Welcome to my blog! For those who know me, I'm excited you decided to check it out. For those who don't know me, I'm Stacey. Owner of a traveling paint studio in Southeast Wisconsin, named Stickman Painting Studio. My team and I get to travel to various locations throughout the area and teach people how to paint, all while sipping on some liquid courage.

Yes. We are the lucky ones. We're doing something that we love. Plus we get to paint too! Just kidding. We do love teaching and painting (or at least my team tells me they do).

In the almost six years I've been in the paint and sip industry, one thing that never changes is people. There's at least one person at every event that says, I can't draw a stick man to save my life. Hence the studio name! But in all seriousness. Why is this? So many students come in, scared out of their wits, afraid they're going to do a bad job. Afraid they are going to be judged.

Remember when we were kids, when we had no fear to just create and draw and doodle (even if it was on our parents living room wall). We were excited to paint. To create mud sculptures in the backyard. And we couldn't wait to show our creations to our family and friends. We were proud of our work. But then, as we got older, something changed. In school, if we weren't "good enough," we stopped creating. We pushed that desire under the rug and moved on with our lives. Maybe some of us had and still have a hidden desire to want to create art again. Maybe some of us do create secretly.

In the industry I'm in, about 90% of my students say they haven't painted or created since grade or middle school, with a small percentage saying they have never created in their life (which I don't think I believe, sidewalk chalk art still counts!)

But why does this have to happen? A majority of the people I paint with state how much fun it was and how relaxing and therapeutic the class was when it was over. Not everyone in the world is going to be a van Gogh or a da Vinci. But why can't we all just create to create?

If you stopped making art at one point. How old were you? If you remember, why did you stop?