ARTICLES · ANNA CLARK

Why Do You Keep Holding Yourself Back from Earning More?

You've wanted to earn more for a while. You know it may be time to ask for a pay rise, increase your rates or explore a new direction. But when an opportunity appears, you find another reason to put it off.

“Now isn't the right time.”

“I don't have enough experience yet.”

“What if it doesn't work out?”

You keep working, learning and trying — but when a decision matters, you choose what feels familiar.

It's especially frustrating when you have the knowledge and motivation. You have a reasonable idea of what to do, yet you still don't do it.

Why does this happen? And is it always a sign of a so-called money block?

Not every money problem comes from an inner limitation

Sometimes the reasons are practical: you need new skills, opportunities are limited, your offer needs work, or your sales approach or business model needs to change.

In those cases, you need action and a strategy.

But sometimes you know the next step and still feel resistance when the moment arrives.

Imagine you've decided to raise your rates. You know what you'd like to charge and have prepared a new offer. Yet when you speak with a client, you unexpectedly quote your old price.

What happened?

Perhaps a thought flashed through your mind: “What if they say no?” You felt tense, wanted to avoid an awkward moment and automatically chose the familiar option.

That doesn't mean you necessarily have a deep psychological issue. But the reaction is worth noticing, especially if it keeps happening.

Sometimes a financial decision isn't just about money

Different feelings may lie behind familiar behaviour:

• Fear of making a mistake or being rejected.
• Doubts about your own value.
• Wanting to keep everyone happy.
• Fear of being judged.
• A need to control everything.
• The feeling that “I'm not ready yet”.

The same behaviour doesn't always have the same cause.

One woman hesitates to raise her rates because she genuinely doubts market demand. Another fears losing a client's approval. A third simply hasn't settled on her strategy.

That's why I don't find blanket claims such as “If you're not earning enough, you have a money block” helpful.

Human behaviour is more complex. To understand a recurring pattern, it's better to explore a specific situation than assume the cause in advance.

How I work with these concerns

I'm Anna Clark, a women's coach working with subconscious patterns through the PWS approach.

I don't decide on someone else's behalf why they behave the way they do.

We begin with a specific situation and explore the feelings, thoughts, bodily responses and habitual behaviours that arise.

My aim is to help someone notice what used to happen almost automatically and understand their own response more clearly.

Inner work doesn't replace practical action. If you need to build skills, look for a new job, change your strategy or learn to sell, those steps matter too.

But when someone says, “I know what to do, yet I keep doing the same thing,” it can be useful to look more closely at what happens internally at the moment of choice.

You can read more about working on individual concerns in theOne-to-one PWS session.

How to recognise your recurring pattern

Think of a recent situation in which you could have taken a financial step forward but stopped yourself.

Try to recall your first reaction, rather than the explanation you came up with afterwards.

What did you think? What did you feel? Did anything change in your body — perhaps tension or an urge to end the conversation quickly?

Now ask yourself:

“What is my familiar decision protecting me from, and what am I afraid might happen if I choose differently?”

You don't need an immediate answer, and the first thought that comes to mind isn't necessarily the whole explanation.

But paying attention can be a first step towards understanding your own behaviour.

Sometimes growing your income is not only about knowing what to do, but also recognising what prevents you from taking an opportunity already in front of you.