There are very few people in the world today who cannot solve at least one of the problems they are facing by having just a little more money. “Money makes the world go round” – at some point in our lives we have heard or thought this saying because of how often it is used. What are our thoughts about this?
Belief Kills or Belief Cures
We have heard the saying countless times “belief kills and belief cures”, but have we ever associated it with money? Probably not. The things we believe can either trap us in a rut or propel us towards greatness and comfort. So, then it only makes sense that we consider our thoughts as it pertains to our money.
How beneficial do I think having money is? Do we think it is worth dying for? Is it worth losing sleep over? Is it easy come easy go or do we use it sparingly? How much money is enough money? Am I deserving of wealth?
These are some of the questions that will help us to zero in on our money belief system.
Positive beliefs about money will encourage us to go after the goals that will help us to gain more financially, while negative beliefs can keep us fearful from making the next move towards bettering our finances.
The thoughts we have about our money dictates the way we live our lives and has the potential to impact the way we go about pursuing our goals. The key is to cultivate a positive money belief system that will help you to move closer towards your life goals, because when our beliefs change our actions also change.
Ignorance is Bliss
There are many people who go through life avoiding the topic of money. Yes, they use it daily, but they play a game of hide and seek when it comes to planning and organizing their finances. This may come from a fear of not having enough money, so sometimes the thought of allocating the money we do not think we have become stressful and overwhelming.
The thought of having to pay bills, mortgage or rent, buy groceries, save and still have a little left over for miscellaneous from a meagre salary is daunting to many and this can lead them to avoiding the situation altogether. While avoidance may alleviate the anxiety in the moment, it definitely can pose a problem in future when lack of financial planning can lead to other negative results.
Avoidance is not the key. The key is to channel our energy into creating a more positive outlook on our finances and creating ways to detach our finances from fear. If you are someone who ignores your financial obligations out of fear, then keep reading to score some nuggets on how to recreate your money mindset.
I am a Money Magnet
In a time when manifestation, which is the belief that a person’s energy and thoughts can design your future, is very popular many people have adapted this practice for their finances. The thought is that once you create positive thoughts regarding your ability to earn money then you will be successful.
Whether you subscribe to manifestation or not, the thoughts that you have about yourself in relation to getting money have an impact on how well you do financially. There are people who think that they are not capable of becoming financially stable, let alone experience financial freedom.
As a result, they operate negatively toward pushing themselves towards opportunities where they may feel like a fish out of water even though it shows potential to have a great financial reward.
Financial Freedom
If we were to do a survey and ask how many people had financial freedom as their life goal, we would see quite a number of people giving a positive response. Financial freedom means to have enough money in savings and investments that will allow you to live in a way that you are most comfortable with.
Some people have the money mindset that financial freedom is not achievable, or it is but not for me. This is another money belief that will hinder us from taking on opportunities that we deem to be “too much” for us because we think that it’s not even worth the hassle. Why bother?
Is Money Worth More than my Health?
The world of work can be a very demanding space to occupy. There are some work environments that require its employees to work long hours for several consecutive days. This toe of strain can become stressful on us and cause us to experience issues with our health- physical, mental and emotional.
Though we may find ourselves in a position where we feel overwhelmed or ill because of work, many of us will turn a blind eye to our illnesses for the sake of maintaining an income.
There are a lot of jokes on social media about the millennial employee, anyone born between the years of 1981 and 1996, and their fear of using their personal or sick days in the workplace.
Not to mention the entrepreneur who many times works extremely long hours and wears more than one hats in the company they are building.
While dedication is something that can be applauded, overextending yourself will never be beneficial in the long run to you or your company.
Big Money. Big Risk
One of the riskiest money moves is investing. Investing, to put it simply, is giving resources- in many cases money- to a financial institution with the expectation to earn money.
For a long time, investing was a financial discipline that was mostly used by people who were financially “well off” because the thought was that someone who is not financially stable could not possibly have enough money to spare to make investments.
In recent years, though, many financial institutes have been spreading more awareness and educating people on investing and helping us to understand that investing is not only for the rich and famous. The institutions are helping people to understand that there are different types of investing and to understand which type is the best fit for them.
Beliefs About MoneyNonetheless, investing still takes a lot of guts. The best investors are many times referred to as risk takers because they put forward a big sum of money that they will either lose or gain from and there is not always a guarantee that it will end in your favour. This can make some people shy away from it out of fear that they will lose all their money, which they didn’t really have a lot of in the first place.
The advice before investing is always to get as much information as you can, that way you can approach the process knowing fully what you are getting yourself into. This also lessens the fearful thoughts that you may approach the process with and help you to create positive thoughts as it relates to investing.
Making my Money Work for Me
One of the best ways to make your money work for you is through the proper planning and organizing of your finances. Make sure to budget.
We hear all the time of the success stories of budgeting and how this financial discipline is a fool proof way of ensuring proper money management. Most videos or blogs that speak to any form of money management always mention the benefits of budgeting.
Without a budget we just spend mindlessly, then all of a sudden with realizing it you are now broke, or worse in debt. Budgeting helps to lessen or eliminate financial fears by allowing us to layout our finances on paper right in front of us and going through it with a fine-tooth comb.
We get to visualize the money we gain and the money we spend, which will help us to make decisions on how to proceed, without being blinded sided by a surprise bill payment we need to make which can send us spiralling into an anxious breakdown.
The Miser
The miser is a person who lives way below their means out of fear of going broke. Many people would probably not see an issue with such a person, but the truth is that being miser is not always a good thing.
The miser has adapted this way of life solely out of fear, and a life controlled and operated by or because of fear can never be a healthy one. These persons will go without some needs and wants or opt to buy the cheapest versions of any item so they can save a buck.
At times they may be uncomfortable with their purchases because they would have preferred the better option, but they ignore this discomfort and encourage themselves by saying that they are saving.
As mentioned earlier saving is an excellent discipline to develop, however, everything should be done in moderation to maintain balance, even saving.
Creating Positive Money Attitude
In order to have a successful financial life we must have a positive attitude towards money and money management on a whole. So here are some tips to help you create positive money attitudes:
- Be honest with yourself and figure out what your current attitude towards money is. You can fix something without knowing what the issue is.
- Forgive yourself for the ways that you have misused your money in the past. There is no use crying over spilt milk, the money you have lost cannot be returned. Move forward.
- Educate yourself. There are so many books, blogs and videos on the internet that will help us to gain a proper understanding of money. There is a popular saying “people fear what they do not understand”. If you do not understand how to manage money, it will be easy to feel overwhelmed.
- Set goals. Know what you are working towards. You could set monthly, quarterly or yearly financial goals.
- Don’t compare your finances to others. Comparison is the thief of joy.
- Speak and think positively towards your money. Create money mantras that will help you to stay focused. What you think you believe. Remember belief kills or cures.