Every Boundary You Honor Strengthens a Relationship — Especially This One
A two-part question I’m known for asking clients is this:
Do you have any pre-determined financial and business rules? And can you tell me about a time when you didn’t follow them?
As you might imagine, I get a full spectrum of responses:
“I don’t have any.”
“I spend as little as possible, which is far too general to be effective.”
“I have a detailed budget, but I don’t follow it.”
What is your answer to that two-part question?
How similar — or dissimilar — is it to the real-life examples I’ve just shared?
I ask this question because it reveals a great deal — both in what is said and what isn’t.
This insight is helpful for me, but even more importantly, it’s helpful for my clients.
Yes, boundaries involve limits and rules.
But they also reveal something deeper — the health of your relationship with money.
So What’s The Deep Reveal?
I’ve written about the intersection of boundaries and money previously. Today, I want to explore that idea further, because boundaries are about far more than simply having limits and rules.
Last week, I focused on the invisible influences that quietly shape our financial decisions — approval, responsibility, identity, and the tension between stability and expansion.
Boundaries are often where those influences become most visible.
Because it’s one thing to understand what influences you. It’s another to hold a line when those influences apply pressure.
That’s why boundaries are not just behavioral — they are relational signals.
They are about:
Self-awareness — knowing what you want and need
Standards — defining, in advance, what is acceptable and unacceptable
Communication — being willing to express those standards, even when conversations feel uncomfortable
Responsibility — taking ownership of what’s within your control, while releasing the urge to control others’ choices
This is also one of the central themes inside Successful, Profitable… and Not Broke.
Not just setting financial and business boundaries — but understanding why they’re difficult to maintain, where they tend to erode, and how invisible influences often disguise themselves as “reasonable exceptions.”
Boundaries often protect you from yourself — particularly from choices that may work against your best interests.
They can also protect you from the choices of others.
A 5-Minute Reflection: Where Boundaries Blur
We explored a similar reflection last week. If you’re open to it, let’s revisit the practice:
Think about a recent situation where you said yes… but later wished you had said no.
Ask yourself:
What boundary was being tested?
What made the yes feel easier than the no?
Was approval, responsibility, identity, or fear of instability present?
What did that decision cost you — mentally, emotionally, financially, or energetically?
What might holding the boundary have required?
You’re not looking for self-criticism here — only awareness.
Because boundaries rarely fail from lack of knowledge.
They tend to falter under pressure.
Far too often, boundaries are viewed through the lens of restriction.
In truth, they are about alignment.
They reveal what you value, what you prioritize, and what you are — and are not — willing to carry.
And over time, they shape not only your financial outcomes, but your experience of your work, your personal and business relationships, and your sense of capacity.
Because every boundary you honor strengthens a relationship — especially the one you have with yourself.
About Jacquette
I love to ask questions and spark aha moments. I love to talk about why success with money is about more than just the numbers, and how the cultural impact on the intersection of money, business, and life matters–A LOT! And, I really hope I help people feel seen, heard, and not judged—especially since money is emotional and personal.
