Do you know anyone who is deeply rooted in their beliefs? A person who has given their life to a cause? Maybe advocating for the homeless, working for a better environment or like one of my non-profit clients, their mission is to stop poverty? In this blog let’s discuss how to monetize the strength of Belief®.
Financial guru Dave Ramsey teaches what he calls the Baby Steps to getting out of debt and building wealth. If you want to blaze through the Baby Steps, says Ramsey, there’s nothing like an extra job—and the extra cash it brings in—to turbo-charge your gazelle intensity. And while extra income is great for eliminating debt, it’s also super handy for building an emergency fund, paying off the mortgage, or beefing up your college fund or retirement nest egg.
Ramsey’s superpower is Belief and you can hear it in his voice. “For your own good, for the good of your family and your future, grow a backbone. When something is wrong, stand up and say it is wrong, and don’t back down.” ― The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness.
After going through bankruptcy in 1988, Dave has a $125 million plus annual revenue and his Lampo Group, Inc., company oversees six divisions that focus on financial education. He has built a brand from his 6 New York Times bestsellers, The Dave Ramsey Show, and his team of 700 employees.
Dave states, “We learned early on that if we help enough people, the money will come.”
In my coaching experience, people with Belief need careers to be in line with their core values. Put a person with Belief into a work environment that doesn’t correspond with their fundamental ideology, for example, and you have a disaster waiting to happen.
When it comes to earning a little extra cash, Belief can come in handy. Many of Ramsey’s followers have paid down their debt by teaching, selling food, tending pets— really any job that cares for others.
Teaching is a good place to start. You might be surprised to learn how much people will pay you to teach them about something you love doing. All you have to do is get the word out. A follower of Ramsey, Tunde, teaches concealed handgun classes in Houston. Josh offers cello lessons. Rebecca tutors special-needs students at $120 a week. As for working in the food industry, Caitlin makes custom cakes and now earns up to six thousand dollars selling cakes each month. Mattie just started a meal preparation business and landed a 10-meal order that netted $75 for three hours of work.
People with Belief can leverage their talent by writing down a life purpose statement. A purpose statement helps you navigate the world and stay on course. It also helps colleagues and employees understand their leader’s belief system.
It’s important to realize that people with Belief are not typically motivated by money or prestige, but by making a difference in the world. You are moved by the core values that steer your life, whether that core value is helping others get out of debt, speaking about global warming, or working with breast cancer survivors.
When it comes to earning more cash, here’s a little trick I’ve learned: Surround yourself with reminders of your personal mission. Say you are a speaker and want to double your speaking income this year. It’s likely this financial goal all by itself won’t drive you to seek out more speaking gigs. So, what will?
Your personal mission. Often, that personal mission is expressed within your keynote or speech. When the going gets tough, these reminders will help you focus on your reason for being and the valuable contribution you can make.
One of my coaching clients, Lindsey, confessed that selling was not her forte. She had several sales jobs in college and with each position the stress of selling slowly ate away at her. Then she opened a dance studio, a job she loved, and immediately the stress of selling evaporated. She was so passionate about dancing and teaching others to dance that telling people about her business didn’t come off as selling, but something honest and genuine. The difference between selling a service and talking about something you love makes a world of difference. Lindsey believed in her business and that belief shined through in every conversation. Her belief led to buy-in. Or, more accurately, because she honestly believed in her service, the notion of buy-in never came up.
Here’s another idea for turning Belief into income: Don’t be afraid to give voice to your values. This will help others know who you are and how they can relate to you. In fact, I’d encourage you to actively seek out new clients, projects, and roles that fit your values. Think about marketing your talents exclusively to organizations that define their purpose by the contribution they make to the community.
How can you use your Belief strength to you find your voice? Once you find that voice how will you use that voice to actively seek out new clients, projects, and roles that fit your values? Please share your comments below.
Not sure where you are and need some conversation around that. Remember you can schedule your Ask Brent Anything call. Let’s talk about strengths.
