FULL transparency – this is going to be my “last” run at making it on my entrepreneurial journey. I’ve used ALL my savings, I’ve borrowed enough money and I’m selling my last asset, my car, to fund me 5-6 months in Bali. After that, I will have nothing.

(but really, I say “last” because even if this doesn’t work out I know I will find a way to not give up on my vision)

I know, I asked myself the same question too – “Are you crazy and how are you going to make it happen? What if it doesn’t work?”

The truth is, I don’t know.

But what I do know is this – I will make it happen, no matter what. I just can’t see the ‘how’ yet.

And even if things don’t go the way I anticipated, that’s okay too. Really, it’s not the end of the world. I’m just thankful that I will never end up on the streets (Thanks Mum & Dad!)

I used to be ashamed that I haven’t made enough $$ through my business.

I used to freak out if my savings went below a certain level.

I would often opt for the cheapest option because I was scared of spending too much.

And yes, even though I have improved my relationship with money, I am still learning how to deal with the stress that comes with it in my life.

But now, more often than not, I act OUT OF ABUNDANCE and act from a place where money does NOT have power over me.

And I’m constantly challenging myself to ensure that money doesn’t control me or the decisions that I make in my life.

And funnily enough, the more I make decisions based on this belief, the more I was given opportunities to make my life happen.

When I’m about to make a decision that doesn’t seem to make ‘financial sense’ and my mind starts to freak out, I take these following 3 steps. And by the end, I am calm, fearless and clear-headed where I simply make the decision and GO FOR IT!

It’s the same steps that I’ve taken to:

– Quit my corporate job

– start an online business

– Go overseas despite not having a job

– Buying a 1-way ticket to Bali

1. Do the WORST CASE SCENARIO Exercise:

Ooh THIS IS FUN!

Here’s a question that helps me get clear-headed every time I get stuck in the pool of ‘what-if’s.

“What is the worst thing that can happen? REALLY. THE ABSOLUTE WORST.”

Then answer it in 3 steps:

1. Answer it OBJECTIVELY (i.e Ending up on the streets could be the worst case scenario but if this isn’t going to happen in your life, then don’t say it).

2. What are one or two things that you can do to improve the situation?

(note that I said ‘improve’ NOT ‘fix’ because ‘fix’ implies that you’ve done something wrong. NO action of yours is ever wrong or a a mistake!!)

3. What would you have gained out of the worst-case scenario?

For example:

**You are going to start a business.

• Worst case scenario – It fails and you made a loss of $xxxx. You have to tell everyone that it failed and you will feel embarrassed.
• What you can do – Close the business. Go back to your old job and pick up something on the side for extra cash. Start the business (or a new idea) again on the side.
• Benefits – You learned to say yes to your dreams, how to go about starting a business, tried something outside of your comfort zone, learned what it’s like to put yourself out there.

**You are going to quit your job and travel.

• Worst case scenario – You unexpectedly ran out of money and can no longer travel.
• What you can do – You come back home earlier and start a job again. You become more resourceful in money-spending for the next 6 months.
• Benefits – You got to travel and you learned to challenge the status-quo and start living on your own terms!

**You buy a one way ticket to a country that you’ve never been to.

• Worst case scenario – You don’t like the country, you get lonely and not very happy there.
• What you can do – You either go to another country or you come back home earlier.
• Benefits – You challenged the status quo, stepped into the unknown, learned what it’s like to trust yourself, got to be in a new country and immerse in its culture.

You get the drift?

Can you see how, when you take a moment to think about it, the worst-case scenario isn’t that bad at all? That there are ALWAYS things you can do to move forward?

Often, our mind can exaggerate the worst case scenarios to the point where we get CONSUMED by the fear of the ‘what-ifs’ that we can no longer see things in a clear and factual way.

This puts us in a hyper-preventative mode – where your mind tries to prevent you from pretty much trying ANYTHING because each idea seems to be a bad idea.

So what ends up happening for most people?

They become paralyzed and procrastinate and say things like “it’s not the right time”.

They stay in their comfort zones.

They don’t make the decisions that they WANT to make so they become more and more frustrated with their daily lives.

By doing this exercise, you will see how your idea isn’t as scary or as bad as you think it might be.

In other words, you take off the fear-glasses so that you can see things as THEY ARE.

I’ve found that when I do this exercise, it INSTANTLY dissolves away my fears and gets me pumped up on the POSSIBILITIES of my ideas!

So once you have a clear head, go onto the next step:

2. Get CLEAR, CREATIVE and RESOURCEFUL

Money is real and it buys you food. So it’s pretty important to be realistic about the decisions you are going to make.

And I don’t know about you but I don’t want to live on 2-min noodles. And I love my Yoga and delicious dining experiences, a bit too much.

So first,

1. Get CLEAR about how much you will need

In order to figure out an approximate living cost in Bali, I first had to make a decision on the lifestyle that I wanted to have there. I had two choices: Am I going to live a budget lifestyle so that I can stay there longer OR am I going to live a comfortable lifestyle but for a shorter period of time?

I decided on the latter.

Then through research, I calculated an approximate living cost of the lifestyle that I wanted to have in Bali.

Then, I calculated approximate length of time that my existing money can support me for.

2. Creative & Resourceful – Do the magic 10 exercise.

Once you have a clear idea of how much you have and how long that can support you with your new decision, it’s time to get….. CREATIVE!!

Most of your most innovative ideas? It does NOT come from the same thinking that created the problems and fears in the first place.

So, put your creative and resourceful hat on 2 things: money created and money spent.

Now, I want you to get a piece of paper out and divide the page into two columns like above and do the Magic 10 Exercise.

It’s simple – come up with 10 ideas for each column:

– Money Spent: What are 10 other ways that you can be more resourceful without sacrificing your desires too much?

For e.g. say I want to continue to go to Gym in Bali. What’s the best deal for new members in town? What’s the cheapest gym that also meets my standards?

– Money Created: What are 10 other ways that you can create more money?

For e.g. can you teach a skill that you already have on the side? can you start selling things online? can you get paid for showing new people around in your city? can you pick up some virtual assistance job?

You will be SURPRISED at the possibilities that you come up with!!!!

3. Reassure yourself of the Truth

This is probably the most important one because it’s one for your soul <3

Reassure yourself that no matter what happens, you will ALWAYS be okay. And that’s the truth.

The truth is that, money does NOT define you.

It’s a piece of paper – how could it possibly define you?

And money flows – it comes and it goes. Holding onto it isn’t the best practice and it actually blocks the natural flow of life (i.e you STOP living because of your money fears).

It’s easy to think in a linear way – I must do X to make money so that I can spend it. Trust me, I know what it’s like to think this way.

But this doesn’t align with the universal law of life:

Life happens for you when you act on your intuition. Even if it doesn’t make sense. The decision to act on your intuition activates a part of you that gets extremely creative, resourceful and open to things, in order to provide that desire for you.

But you must first TRUST and make a decision that’s aligned with your soul and THEN, only then, the results will show itself.

Here’s to your dreams 🙂

And now it’s time to hear from you.

What’s a decision that you’ve been wanting to make but have been procrastinating?

What did you realize after doing the worst-case scenario exercise?

Love,

Sarah