8 Questions To Learn About Yourself
Tips for exploring financial wellness and digital art
Hi there,
Happy (almost) Halloween! I’m thrilled to reveal the Des Femmes Magazine cover shoot (commissioned with bitcoin) by photographer Tiffany Sin.
(Want to get your own copy? They’ll be on sale at Barnes & Noble by Thanksgiving and preorders are available to Des Femmes community members by emailing leigh@desfemmesmagazine.com. )
Meanwhile I’m expanding my coaching services to general financial wellness sessions, thanks to educational programs with the Financial Psychology Institute and Financial Therapy Association. Because I’ve got an obsession with actionable insights, I wanted to share with all of you some of the top journaling prompts I’d recommend, starting with when you think about coaching.
1. What are my self-limiting beliefs regarding money and work?
2. What are my harmful financial behaviors and habits?
3. What are my money scripts? (The most common scripts include Avoidance, Worship, Status, Vigilance, etc.)
4. What financial flash points in my history have influenced my beliefs and behaviors? (Draw a timeline of your personal money story.)
5. What are my underlying reasons for worries about money, feelings of shame, secrets involving money, and fears about my financial freedom?
6. How do my race, culture, spirituality, gender, and personal values impact my perspective on money?
7. Considering my current income and daily challenges, what do I want to gain or improve on through coaching?
8. What am I already doing well or doing that leans into my strengths?
If you sit down, without your phone or the TV on or trying to multitask, and write down at least two sentences (more is even better) to answer each one of these questions, I promise you’ll learn something new about yourself. Feel free to email me about what you learn. I love hearing from all of you! For the record, my money script is definitely “avoidant,” so I totally relate if some of these questions are hard to answer.
And last, but certainly not least, there are just two more Matriarch portraits via OpenSea available for auction or reservation (via Venmo or bitcoin, feel free to email me). Just in case prospective buyers don’t speak Hebrew, here is the exclusive English translation of the poetry included as hidden content in the NFT portrait of Queen Salome Alexandra:
Shlomtzion (her historical nickname) by Elad Arnon
Oh Shlomtzion, the ruler's wife in a cruel empire, mother
of hawkish sons, they led a great downfall.
between
prosperity and poverty
Her hands brought peace to Zion during all the warm days
of her reign with a touch of feminine softness, or perhaps proof, the truth that a woman can achieve more than any other man.
Shlomtzion chose faith to strengthen and uplift those
who were oppressed, but the ungrateful craved revenge.
When she passed away, a great war broke out between her sons.
Inheritance and greed brought the fall
of our second temple, desert stones paved with blood.
Oh Queen Shlomtzion, how we’ve missed you and your Truth
that a woman can stand at the head of the kingdom, our homeland, a pillar of strength and peace.
I hope someone who likes poetry snags that remaining NFT! It’s been fun to collaborate with both American and Israeli creators throughout this project. Here are some of the actionable insights I’ve learned about using NFTs to fundraise for charity so far:
In a bear market it’s unlikely you’ll sell to strangers, so tap into your existing network.
NFTs are widely associated with scams and involve transaction fees, so the main benefit of using this cumbersome tool is fundraising with international buyers and operators (so far our project involves people across four different countries!) that don’t have Venmo or Cash App.
If you put an NFT up for auction using OpenSea, you have to accept the bid before it expires or it won’t automatically go to the highest bidder.
Not every NFT project needs a long-term road map. Below are some insights garnered from talking with other people that use NFTs to fundraise for reproductive rights.
In short, people around the world don’t say that dollars are great for fundraising because of the paper quality. We say that because it’s widely accepted and recognized. The same principle goes for digital assets. The social layer of a network defines usability and value. In the case of NFTs, which are not widely considered money, the fundraiser’s reputation and messaging are the most salient factors.
Next month I’ll share the final insights from both the NFT experiment and the nationwide Des Femmes Magazine launch. Have any questions or suggestions for what I should cover in November in December? Feel free to comment with your thoughts or email me any time.
Until next time, take care everybody!
Good questions! Very informative, especially since I don’t know much about NFTs.