Chasing a $20 Bill

I was at the beach last Friday on a very windy day. About the time my friend and I were getting ready to leave she grabbed something out of her bag and a $20 bill came flying out of it as well and landed on the sand slightly behind us. 

I jumped up and almost grabbed it before the wind caught it and sent it rolling along the beach.

I instinctively began, somewhat leisurely, running after it assuming I would catch it in a moment.

But then it kept rolling. And I kept running.

I started to notice the thoughts running through my head:

• Am I ever actually going to be able to catch this?

• I’m running. I don’t run. Am I going to regret this tomorrow?

• Would I have given up already if this was only a five-dollar bill?

• People have to be watching me by now.

• Would I be this dedicated (or more/less) if it was my money instead of hers?

• Well, I’ve come this far. I’m committed and I can’t stop now.

• I’m chasing the money. I need to flip the power dynamic.

• I need a plan.

• Maybe if I can kick some sand up while I run I can trap it or slow it down a little.

• I’m never going to catch it unless I get ahead of it somehow...

After a burst of speed that brought me up alongside it, I took and chance and lunged for it. 

And I got it.

When I stood up and turned around, the couple nearest me started clapping and said, “We applaud your effort.”

While this could’ve been just a random funny event that I quickly forgot about, I instead re-lived the story multiple times and realized how much the whole incident was a perfect example of my thoughts around money, value, worth, and feeling empowered.  

Money is the number one source of stress for women. And it's not far behind for men.

And while money is simply a form of energy, it is often a very charged source of energy for each of us based on our personal histories with it and the stories and beliefs we've created around it, all of which contribute to our relationship with it.

And while money is necessary to our human selves, on an emotional and energetic level it is simply a tool. As a coach for almost the last decade, I've learned that one of the foundational human struggles we all have is around the idea of our worth: being enough, doing enough, having enough. 

Money is simply a physical, tangible representation of worth and value that provides us the opportunity to grow, heal and expand around our own self-worth and the ways we value ourselves and others.