Are any of the following familiar?
- You want to withdraw $100 only to discover you have $26.10
- You went to pay for a purchase using a credit card only to have the salesperson politely give it back to you saying that it was rejected
- Or, you cash your paycheck only to realize that you had so many overdraft fees that a percentage of your money is already gone. Now you are thinking, “How am I going to make it until the next payday?”
- You wake up in the middle of the night because of a bone-chilling realization that you have little retirement savings
And, with all that is going on in your personal life, you must go to the office and talk with patients about their needed care, which you know deep in your soul you could never afford. Or, you must talk to a customer, desperately trying to convince them to hire you or buy your service or product.
I have. It was terrifying!
For years, I struggled with money, my relationship with money, and actually how I saw the world. Being a student of coaching and behavioral change, I wanted to understand why it happened to me. I did loads of research, attended training sessions, received certifications, and earned an academic degree—all to learn what is going on, first for me and then for my clients, when dealing with money and how it shows up in other areas of our lives.
The stories or narratives we are telling ourselves about money create the patterns in our lives. Psychiatrist C.G. Jung coined the term “archetype” to mean a psychological model that, because it is universal, included it is an expression for all people, times, and places. When you learn or become aware of a dominant archetype (sub-personality) and step into it is strengths, it is not that different from beginning a new exercise program and noticing muscles you never had.
So linking our money challenges and troubles to an archetypical story is a way we can connect patterns in our lives. Hence, we begin to develop a deeper understanding of our current situation and feel connected to staying on our current journey or making changes, so we experience greater happiness, abundance, and freedom.
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Below are brief introduction to eight archetypical money personalities. I share these and invite you to “lean in” to the ones that resonate with you and “lean in” deeper to the ones that don’t. After reading the brief description of each archetype, begin to imagine how different combinations might influence your relationship with money. Click here to take a free quiz to determine your top money personalities.
Ruler. The Ruler is an Inner Empire Builder, and they illuminate the desire to achieve. The Ruler has an inner fire or drive to create that makes him or her an unstoppable, passionate force for making a big impact for others and significant income. The Ruler’s challenge is to create harmony in life instead of letting a business or career dominates all of his or her time and attention, and to learn how to relax into and enjoy life in the moment.
Accumulator. The Accumulator is an Inner Banker. They illuminate respect and appreciation. They typically live well under their means, are highly attentive to managing their money, love to save just for the sake of saving, and are naturally highly frugal. The Accumulator can often be secretive with money and can quickly judge others for spending or money habits. The challenge for Accumulators challenge is to expand how big they view themselves and what they can accomplish instead of keeping their world tightly controlled.
Connector. The Connector is an Inner Relationship Creator. Connectors illuminate faith and optimism. The Connectors’ faith that money will always be available keeps them (mostly) free of financial stress. The downside to this innocent bliss is they can easily be taken advantage of, and are often in situations where they blindly trust the handling of financial details to others or find themselves in situations where they rely on someone else to support them.
Alchemist. The Alchemist is an Inner Idealist. They illuminate positive change. Alchemists are fascinating because they have a love/hate relationship with money. The Alchemist is amazing at creating ideas that can transform peoples’ lives and transform the world at large. The challenge for Alchemists is to direct their tremendous energy towards monetizing ideas and to find a way of positively connecting with the good money can do in the world.
Maverick. The Maverick is an Inner Rebel with a Cause and illuminates that risk is essential. Mavericks are highly creative with money and loves to turn it into a game they want to win. They have a natural ability to understand and feel comfortable with complex money transactions and are often looking at how to gain the financial advantage in a situation. The Mavericks’ challenge is their excitement at winning big at the money game can often take them to the point of financial difficulties.
Celebrity. The Celebrity is an Inner Big Shot. They illuminate impact and recognition. The Celebrity is often a charismatic personality that makes him or her a magnet for attracting amazing people and experiences. Something to keep in mind with the Celebrity archetype, especially women, is that they often have been keeping their star power hidden or under wraps. Their challenge is that while they are often amazing at creating money or attracting it into their life, they can default to spending every penny that comes in, and sometimes more!
Nurturer. The Nurturer is an Inner Sponsor. They illuminate caring and compassion. The Nurturers’ desire to be of service often inspires them to be selflessly generous. If someone has a need, they will help them out, even at the expense of his or her own time, energy, or financial stability. The Nurturers’ challenge is to discover how to create boundaries, and to believe that by creating boundaries they are empowering others in ways that are priceless.
Romantic. The Romantic is an Inner Hedonist. They illuminate enjoying the pleasures of life. The Romantic loves to live life in the moment, often spending money on life’s enjoyments such as food, clothes, toys, experiences and more – anything that creates feelings of gratification or sensory pleasure. They often spend beyond their means, telling themselves, “I deserve it!” The challenge for Romantics is to avoid creating a feast-or-famine lifestyle, as these wildly different emotions do not give them the ultimate of what they want in life, which is pleasure and enjoyment.
Congratulations! You’ve now been introduced to each of the eight money personalities. Click here to take a free quiz to determine your top money personalities. You will get your quiz results immediately so you can get started more confidently, easily and effectively changing your relationship with money.
Regards,
Kristine Hodsdon, RDH, MSEC
RDH eVillage, Director
Kristine Hodsdon RDH, MSEC is the editorial director of PennWell’s RDH eVillage e-newsletter. She provides executive coaching and team training so busy professionals easily create profitable systems that serve more clients. Visit www.kristineahodsdon.com with inquiries regarding her “Get P.A.I.D.” coaching system and programs.
Works Cited
- Jung, CG, and R.F.C. Translated by Hull. The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. New York: Princeton University Press, 1968.
- Myss, Caroline. Sacred Contracts: Awakening Your Divine Potential. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2002.
- Pearson, Carol S. Awakening the Heros Within. New York: HarperCollins, 1991.
- Summerhawk, Kendall. Sacred Money Archetypes. 2014.
