The Two Blocks that Keep Money from Finding You

The struggle to attract more money, clients, and opportunities… it’s rarely about the strategy.

Photo by Ben Sweet on Unsplash

First published on Medium

Let’s get straight to the heart of it.

The struggle to attract more money, clients, and opportunities… it’s rarely about the strategy.

It’s almost always about your identity.

You can hustle, you can manifest, you can visualize — but if your identity is rooted in lack, reality will conform to that.

Something tells me you know this already.

You’re someone who creates, who has a vision, but feels an invisible ceiling on your income and impact.

If that’s true, you’re likely facing one of two hidden blocks.

We built both of these walls ourselves. And it took a simple conversation on a drive to the grocery store to see them clearly.

See which one feels more familiar.

Block 1: The Comparison Trap (Cristof’s Story)

You see other creators, solopreneurs, and authors succeeding, and instead of feeling inspired, you feel a gut-punch of self-doubt.

“Why them and not me?”
“What’s their secret?”
“I’ll never get there.”

You’re measuring your Chapter 1 against their Chapter 20.

This isn’t just jealousy. It’s a form of energetic repulsion.

By focusing on your lack, you broadcast a signal of scarcity. You become un-coachable, closed off to the very inspiration that could move you forward.

What you need isn’t another tactic.
You need to dissolve the identity that feels “behind.”

Block 2: The Imposter Syndrome Freeze (Sophia’s Story)

You get a nudge to create something, reach out for a collaboration, or raise your prices… and a voice freezes you.

“Who am I to do this?”
“I’m not an expert yet.”
“I need to be more ready.”

You hold yourself back, believing you need a perfect result before you can even begin.

This isn’t humility. It’s a cleverly disguised form of self-sabotage.

By refusing to put yourself out there, you ensure you’ll never become the person you want to be. You repel opportunity by refusing to open the door.

What you need isn’t more credentials.
You need the identity of a “contributor,” not a “guru.”

The shift out of these blocks isn’t another technique.

It’s a single, powerful question that we now live by. It’s the bridge between your current self and your money magnet self.

“What would the version of me who is already a money magnet do right now?”

This question bypasses the logic of your current circumstances. It pulls the energy, decisions, and actions of your future self into the present.

• Would that version of you scroll mindlessly, or write 500 words?

• Would they gossip about a competitor, or send a congratulatory message?

• Would they hide their work, or hit “publish”?

This is the core of the work we do at Simple and Aligned.

We guide you through these precise identity shifts. We give you the mindsets and the simple, aligned actions to stop chasing and start being the person money, clients, and opportunities are naturally drawn to.

If you’re ready to move from manifesting to embodying, this is your space.

Click here to join the Simple and Aligned newsletter.

We don’t just teach this because it’s a philosophy.

We teach it because we’ve lived it. We were right where you are, building those same walls.

As always, remember:

Stop chasing. Start being.

— Sophia & Cristof

Remove These Two Blocks and Become a Money Magnet

How a simple grocery run conversation revealed why we were repelling abundance (and the identity shift that changed everything).

Photo by Greg Willson on Unsplash

First published on Medium

It was just a drive to pick up our grocery order.

The radio was off. The hum of the road was the only sound, until one of us started talking about love.

“You know,” one of us said, “when you’re desperately looking for love, you often don’t find it. Or you make compromises. But when you stop looking, when you’re just ready and open… that’s when you find your person.”

A pause. Then the spark.

“That’s how money works.”

The words hung in the air between us, Cristof and Sophia. It was one of those moments where a truth you’ve been circling for years suddenly lands, clear and simple.

You have to be ready for money, and the money has to be ready for you.

Stop chasing money. Let money chase you.

It sounds beautiful, almost too simple. But as we talked, we realized we’d spent years building invisible walls that repelled the very abundance we wanted. We were the ones who weren’t “ready.” And we discovered we weren’t alone.

The Two Biggest Blocks That Keep Money from Finding You

For this “letting money chase you” idea to work, you have to be open to receiving. We found two major ways we were slamming the door shut.

Block #1: The Comparison Trap (Cristof’s Story)

For the longest time, my reaction to other people’s success was a gut punch of self-doubt. I’d see a fellow writer hit the Staff Picks, or a solopreneur launch a successful course, and my mind would immediately spiral: Why them and not me? What’s wrong with me? Why am I not there yet?

This wasn’t just jealousy; it was a form of energetic repulsion. By focusing on my lack, I was broadcasting a signal of scarcity. I was essentially telling the universe, “See? I don’t have what it takes. Those people are the lucky ones.” I was so busy measuring my chapter 1 against someone else’s chapter 20 that I’d become completely un-coachable, closed off to the very inspiration and strategies that could have moved me forward.

Block #2: The Imposter Syndrome Freeze (Sophia’s Story)

My block was more internal, but just as damaging. It was the voice that whispered, “Who are you to talk about this? Your own life isn’t perfectly ‘fixed’ yet. You’re not a certified expert.”

This hesitation showed up as not taking inspired action. I’d get a nudge to write an article, reach out for a collaboration, or create a new offering, and the imposter syndrome would freeze me. “I’m not ready,” I’d tell myself. This wasn’t humility; it was a cleverly disguised form of self-sabotage. By refusing to put myself out there, I was ensuring I’d never become the person I wanted to be. I was repelling opportunity by refusing to open the door.

The Shift: How We Finally Opened the Door

Realizing the blocks was one thing. Dismantling them was another. It didn’t happen overnight, but through a conscious practice of identity work.

For me, Cristof, the breakthrough came from a concept we now live by:

imagine what the person who already has what you want feels like, and then hold that feeling in your heart.

I’m a beginner in CrossFit. In the past, seeing someone do a handstand walk would have triggered my comparison monster. Now, I consciously step into the identity of a “fit, healthy athlete.” From that place, I don’t feel jealousy; I feel pure awe and inspiration. I see a roadmap, not a reminder of my failure. I became coachable, embracing Ray Dalio’s principle of radical open-mindedness that I had read in his book Principles (Affiliate Link). The person I am becoming is eager to learn from those ahead of him, because he knows their success doesn’t diminish his own — it lights the path.

For me, Sophia, the shift was deciding to

be a contributor, not a guru.

In 2023, I started a YouTube channel despite feeling completely unqualified. The pivotal moment was a piece of advice from my money mindset mentor, Denise Duffield-Thomas, author of Chill and Prosper (Affiliate Link), that I paraphrase like so: “You don’t have to be the ultimate expert. You just have to be a contributor to the conversation.”

That freed me. A five-year-old can contribute a beautiful, naive drawing to the world of art. A 105-year-old can contribute a lifetime of wisdom. I realized that in the doing, I would become. By creating the content, I was embodying the teacher. I was stepping into the identity of “someone who shares valuable insights,” and through that action, I was becoming her.

Your Practical Takeaway: The “Magnet Mindset” Question

So, how do you start removing these blocks today? It starts with one simple, powerful question. Whenever you feel stuck, hesitant, or compare yourself, ask:

“What would the version of me who is already a money magnet do right now?”

• Would that version of you scroll mindlessly, or would they write 500 words?

• Would they gossip about a competitor’s success, or would they send a congratulatory message?

• Would they hide their work because it’s not “perfect,” or would they hit “publish”?

This question bypasses the faulty logic of your current circumstances and pulls you into the energy of your future self. This is the energy that money — like a happy dog — recognizes and runs toward.

And remember the most liberating idea from our car conversation, inspired by the book Dollars Want Me (Affiliate Link):

Dollars want you.

Money is not a scarce resource to be hoarded. It’s a form of energy that wants to circulate. It is drawn to people who will use it for good, for creation, for benefit to their families and communities. When you align your identity with that benevolent, creative force, you stop being a desperate chaser and start being a joyful receiver. You become a magnet.

Your journey to becoming a money magnet starts with a single decision who you want to become.

Before You Go…

If this resonated with you, you’re our kind of person. We explore these kinds of mind-shifts and practical identity upgrades every week in our Simple and Aligned Newsletter. Click here to get our weekly insights delivered directly to your inbox. Let’s become the people our future selves are already proud of.

— Sophia & Cristof