A few weeks ago I was laying on my couch feeling like I “finished all of Netflix,” when a new show popped up in my recommendations: Bling Empire. It was billed as the “reality TV version of Crazy Rich Asians.” 

Crazy Rich Asians is one of my favorite movies. Not only is it a great film, there are also luxe houses, rare cars worth millions, high-end jewelry (one of my favorite scenes is when Astrid breezes in to a jewelry store all goddess-like and buys 1.2 million dollar antique earrings without blinking an eye) and fabulous designer clothes. 

While not everything in the movie is my desire, it pushed me beyond my own “wealth comfort zone” and got me thinking waaay bigger about money. It expanded my Money Capacity™. I watched it eight times because I wanted to soak in the wealth energy of the movie and stay rooted in the endless possibilities! 

So, naturally, I had to check out Bling Empire. Wow. I was NOT prepared for what I saw. 

Bling Empire  takes wealth to a whole new level. From Gucci arcade machines at a child’s first birthday party to impromptu weekly lunch trips on a private jet to Paris–what most struck me was how the cast is completely unapologetic about their wealth.  

Here are a few quotes from the show:

You have to live for you. -Anna

I think more is more when it comes to jewelry. -Christine

Prices don’t exist in Anna’s world. -Florent

Those are some serious Money Capacity #goals. 

By the end of the series, I was dreaming about only flying private to avoid airport hassles or being able to drop $300,000 without blinking an eye on a cause important to me.

Are you feeling triggered by what I just wrote? 

When you hear about someone else’s wealth, Is some part of you saying “ugh those people are so superficial and greedy, I don’t want to be like that” or “how can they spend so much money when people are in need?”.  

If you’re triggered, something deeper is going on. In my experience, getting triggered about money happens when we carry limiting beliefs about it. Most wealthy people I know, especially those who built it themselves, DON’T have those feelings about money. That’s why they’re wealthy.

Some money beliefs are good. Like one of my personal faves from the musical Hello Dolly: “Money, pardon the expression, is like manure. It should be spread around encouraging things to grow.” 

But some of the beliefs are negative and create internal conflict and shame, which can seriously limit our earning in the long run. 

For example: You’re picturing yourself in the shoes of Bling Empire characters and think people who have that much money are “automatically greedy” or did something “shady” to get that much money. You might think wealth is “unsafe” because others will tear you down out of jealousy and make your life hell. Or think the only way people earn that kind of wealth is through exploiting others.

You might have booked a lucrative corporate gig but you’re embarrassed to share it with people in your field who might find out you charge more than them. Someone I know bought herself a Mercedes after wanting one for over a decade, but then hid it in her garage for fear her neighbors would judge her as “too big for her britches”. 

You might also hide what you invest in self-care, coaches or advisors from a spouse or family members. You may bristle when people post their money wins and call them “tacky.”

I once worked with a woman who was WAY undercharging for her work. She was afraid people in her community would inquire about her services, she’d quote them her desired price and they’d react in shock and tell everyone she was “greedy”. Is it any wonder she was totally burned out and ready to shut down her business after years of overworking and underearning?

When you feel embarrassed to be seen as “wealthy” because you associate wealth with shame, greed or “not caring about others” you’ve got a Money Capacity issue. And it can seriously affect your earning potential–even if you think you’re making good money now. 

If you’ve noticed you’re not earning as much as you should be, you’ve hit a plateau, you “hide” your money, you’re constantly in feast or famine mode or you resist raising your prices, it’s time to take a deeper look at your Money Capacity.

Truth is: “wealth” isn’t something you are victimized by or that you victimize others with unless you decide to do that. You can build wealth in an aligned, feel-good way. Money isn’t even real, it’s the value we ascribe to numbers on the screen or a piece of paper in your hand you’re exchanging for something. So money itself isn’t “bad”. It’s simply an energy exchange.

For example: I’m not into luxe cars. But I do love real estate. And jewelry. I absolutely want to fly on a private jet if I can–travel is stressful, why not make it less stressful? I work hard and deserve to fly comfortably between speaking gigs so I can show up well-rested and give my best.

I also want a $100 million dollar company. Why? Because I’m also into using my wealth to give more to important causes. Every year, expanding my Money Capacity allows me to finance larger amounts towards not-for-profit organizations and Kiva-type loans. The cast of Bling Empire themselves hosted several events that raised millions for good causes. 

I couldn’t give more every year if I sabotaged my wealth for fear other people would see me as “greedy”. The Bling Empire cast wouldn’t be able to give millions towards their causes if they were embarrassed someone would see they had THAT much to give away. You can’t build wealth while simultaneously apologizing for it. 

If you have a limit on how much wealth you can build before you start to feel “embarrassed” about it, you’re NEVER going to move past your money ceiling. That fear of being judged for  breaking past your wealth ceiling will constantly sabotage you in nuanced ways. You’ll resist raising prices, shrink your visibility, avoid asking for the raise, or even gaslight yourself and say “Oh I don’t need more money, I have enough”, all because you don’t want to seem “greedy” to or trigger others as your wealth grows.  

Are you starting to see how a “money mantra”, citrine crystals or a revenue plan ISN’T going to move the needle on this? Instead, it’s time to work more deeply on your Money Capacity™, And that starts with clearing what’s really blocking your capacity to earn more. Because as long as the fear of being judged for being wealthy is there, you’ll always sneakily sabotage your capacity to earn more. 

One of my favorite scenes in Bling Empire is when Anna, the wealthiest (and my favorite) cast member, buys her friend, Kevin, a financially struggling model, thousands of dollars in clothes and shoes.

Kevin freaks about it at first, attempting to return everything. He has his own Money Capacity deficits and can’t fully “receive” such a generous gift. He’s worried the gift might be Anna’s way of “testing” him to see if he’s “greedy” and only after her money. 

Anna pushes back and explains giving gifts to her friends just makes her happy.  Kevin’s own capacity deficits almost keep him from accepting a gift worth thousands of dollars. If he’s doing that with Anna, imagine where else he’s shortchanging himself because he’s afraid of being seen as “greedy”. I bet he also isn’t good at negotiating better pay for his modeling gigs.

The same happens with YOUR earning when you’ve got lingering fears about creating more wealth. So, how can YOU take a cue from the money-capacity-rich Bling Empire cast members and start examining your own Money Capacity this week?  

Ps: if you’re ready to do that deeper dive into expanding your Money Capacity™, that’s what we work on EVERY month in Capacity Shift™. One participant just signed two new clients at her new higher rate last week, another just found out her company is headed for 7 figures, another finally hired a nanny so she can focus more on growing her business and yet another participant had her first $40,000 month.  Learn more about Capacity Shift and enroll here.