As we become more mindful of money and our beliefs about it, let’s take a moment to consider whether we have any limiting beliefs about where money comes from. If you are a massage therapist or bodyworker, you most likely make the bulk of your income from payment received for the services you perform. This is logical and to be expected. But what if we looked beyond our habituated expectations and opened up to new realms of possibility?
Take a moment to consider all the places you receive money from. Make a list. You don’t have to show it to anyone. Slowly read through your list and notice whether the way you feel changes depending on which source of income you are considering. You may notice that you allow some streams of support into your life more easily than others. Why is that? Take the time to familiarize yourself with how the financial support you receive makes you feel.
When I made my list, I noticed that some of the ways I receive money feel easy and straightforward (like money for massage services and other professional work I do), and some other ways I receive money feel more emotional and entangling (gifts from family and work I do for people I love and wonder if I should give it for free). I do not have sources of income where I must admit to myself that I am doing something hurtful to others to get it, but, if I did, I would stop doing that as soon as possible. This works against the laws of the universe and abundance.

Open to Possibility  

Now I invite you to make a list of all the places you can imagine getting money from, even if you have never gotten money that way before. Be creative. On my list, I put sales from a future book I write, speaking and consulting fees, selling an online program, salary from a future dream job, inheritance, winning the lottery or a game show, and finding something very valuable.
I want us to conjure up the nerve to imagine support coming to us from places we have never thought of before. And once we have done that, let’s build up the belief that we are supported by the universe so completely that we are magnets for whatever it is we need and allow ourselves to receive, humbly and gratefully, in whatever way it comes.
One of my best friends is a massage therapist. About seven years ago, she was having a big moment in her life as the house she had always loved and dreamed of living in came on the market. It was a special house to her and the owner wanted her to have it. The only challenge was money. She had a sweet, little house to sell but the difference she needed to cover the down payment for the new house was $20,000.
How was she going to come up with $20,000 in time to put in an offer? She did it by staying open to money coming to her in any way it wanted to. She tested different avenues and kept her focus on her vision of living in the house. It was a roller coaster. One day it looked like the money would come through, and then it was lost, then a high bid came in from another buyer and the seller couldn’t refuse. Then, the buyer backed out and one of her longtime massage clients heard the story and cut her a check for $20,000. She’s been living in the house since then and it couldn’t be a more perfect home for her.
From my perspective, the reason this financial miracle occurred is because my friend was energetically in complete alignment with the house, she stayed focused on it, and she let herself open up to support coming to her in any form. This is the kind of thing we cannot plan, but we can become certain in our belief that life is doing all it can to support us, and we can become creative about how we allow money to flow into our lives.

Break Free of Limitations

In my private massage practice, I usually made the bulk of my income from providing massage. And yet, the income that made me truly abundant came from various sources. I didn’t let myself get stuck in the idea that there was only one way to make money (trading massage for money). I explored lots of avenues. I wrote a book; I wrote, and still write, for this magazine; I created self-care packages where I sold yoga classes and massages in a bundle; I led dietary cleanses; I did some health coaching; I maximized income by working with rewards programs from different vendors; and I even explored what it would be like to sell products, although this never turned into a good source of income for me.
What I am trying to say is we need to think outside the box. We need to get out of our habits and patterns that have been ingrained in us and use creativity and wonder to expand our ideas of what is possible. We also have to be honest with ourselves about what feels like authentic support from the universe and what is our own greed taking over.
I truly believe that if we live authentic and honest lives, life will be there to support us. We must take action steps in the material world, knowing there is a magic to life if we are open to it. There are no limits to what the universe can provide. We need only be open and willing to receive with enough discernment to make sure it is in harmony with life.