How to Fix Your Money Mindset
Do you think it matters how we think about money??
Let me ask you this; can you image that anyone ever got rich AND stayed that way by disliking money? If you don’t like, want or care for it, then whatever omnipotent being you believe in, (or simply your own limiting belief that you don’t deserve it) will doubtless do your bidding and take it away. Do you want to get AND keep more money? Then start to LOVE it!!
There are 2 seemingly unconnected but equally important aspects to good money management, the first is education which I hope this blog will set you on the right path for, and the second is your mind-set. This second one might seem irrelevant, but bear with me for a bit.
When you think about money what’s your gut reaction? Do you feel excited? Drained? Fearful? Or do you just dismiss it like you don’t really care….. like “that’s not my bag man”
If you’re in the latter of these two categories, it might be time to have a rethink. Do you really want to work 40 or so hours every week until retirement because you don’t care about money? You’d work all those hours for free would you? Money, whether it’s a lack or an abundance of it, fundamentally affects the choices you can make in your life.
Money Mindset
Before you can address any money issues, you have to see money positively. Think about what it means to you, not your friends family or kids, just to you. How would having it organised and making progress towards more of it feel? How would it feel to have enough, not necessarily rich but always enough? Close your eyes just for a few minutes (unless you are listening to this and driving of course) and really image what it would be like to be in a good place with your money, and maybe even on the right path to being quite well off.
Do you love your job so much that you’d work for free??
No??
Then start caring about your money!!
This process might throw up some unexpected belief systems about money, maybe you don’t feel like you deserve it, or that your friends will see you differently if you are not struggling the same way that they are or you just simply can’t imagine how your life would be if you didn’t have to worry about it.
This isn’t me just wandering off on a random tangent, honestly (though I am prone to this so it may well happen later on). Every money or success orientated book I have ever read cites mind-set as being the key factor to success for a great many very well renowned and successful people throughout the ages, not just the hippy guru types. In fact I’m struggling to think of anyone who has made money AND KEPT IT that didn’t feel they deserved it.
There is a theory that money is a form of energy so if you repel this energy by how you feel when you think about it, then you won’t get it or won’t be able to keep very much of it when you do.
Is Your Money Mindset Keeping You Poor?
This really isn’t as bizarre as it appears. How many times have you heard of famous football players or lottery winners who are broke a few years down the line after having £ millions pass through their hands? Do you think this is lack of education or is it maybe something more psychological?
Before you go any further with this or any book / blog on money that you choose to read, sort out how you feel about it. Decide at the very least that you:
- Want to have your money organised and optimised as best you can right now.
- Want a plan to make more by looking at passive income, investing in yourself, reducing spend on interest payments and not buying stuff that you don’t need.
- Believe wholeheartedly that you deserve to both receive it and keep it!
Please don’t skip this part, you need to love money; teach yourself to enjoy managing it, helping it to work for you not against you. Money is your friend, not your enem
Do You Think Money Is Important?
Why would so many people write about it, think constantly about it, get stressed and anxious about it and often spend their entire lives in the pursuit of more if it – if it’s not important?
The Millionaire Mind-set and the Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko are fascinating books, they are the product of a 20 year study of people in the US (of course) who have a high income and / or a high net worth. Surprisingly many of the millionaires surveyed had quite normal jobs but they SEE their money very differently and treat it with respect, making the little that they have work for them from the start of their working lives, consequently making the number of years that they have to work WAY less and the life that they can retire early into far superior to their peers.
“It’s not the money that you GET that matters………………….
……….it’s the money that you KEEP”
.
This is not to say that if you’ve got to a slightly more advanced age before you’ve realised that this work – pay bills – work some more stuff isn’t really doing it for you anymore that you’re out of the game, absolutely not – just don’t put it off any longer – start now!
In fact, if you are starting late a good book to read (or listen to) is “Start Late and Finish Rich” by David Bach (the clue is in the title!). In all honesty I did find that it laboured a few points a little too much, it is very tailored towards the US market and it has a “cash only” principle at its core, but I do still think that it will add value to your journey, if only to help you believe that it’s never too late.
The classic text on how you feel about money is “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. This book was a published in 1937 but despite the dated language and examples, it remains on point to this day with its core principles being rehashed again and again in the latest publications on the subject. I think it’s really worth a read (or listen) if you’re interested, or just watch some you tube summaries.
I found this to be a particularly good one.
There are a great many commonalities to be observed from the studies of successful people throughout this book. These include:
Believe that you can and you will
- Work hard and do NOT give up
- Surround yourself with people you aspire to
- Act as if what you want is already in place
- So it’s not just me that believes that a mind-set correction should be your first port of call.
If you think that maybe your feelings about money are a bit more deeply rooted in your overall feelings of self-worth then it might be time to address that in a big way.
I think almost everyone struggles with this to some extent so please don’t feel any kind of stigma in admitting that this is an issue for you, in fact, just admitting it is a massive step.
A really good friend of mine has overcome some severe childhood trauma to become a seriously awesome human being and she’s decided to share her vast knowledge through some free content and some in-depth coaching & hypnotherapy programmes. It can’t hurt to take a look and it might even be the best thing that you have ever done for yourself!
Another book that deals almost entirly with your feelings about money – written by an extreemly wealthy Japanese business man who retired in his 20’s – is “Happy Money” by Ken Honda.
Regardless of how easily you can get on board with this feeling of money concept – I urge you to remain open minded and give this a read or a listen. I’ve always thought that I was good with money but this really did make me think again about a few things that I know will help me in the future.
If you’re in the UK and fancy reading a book aimed at “Normal People” i.e. just getting by and trying to make the most out of what we have – not looking for the latest invesments or a debt management company – just trying to do better with what you have – try my book!!
There is an audible version too if you don’t have the time to sit and read. I listen to lots of books whilst i’m cooking or cleaning my kitchen – neither of which are my favourite passtimes so listening to book really helps me.
If the psychology of money management interests you, read this article in Medium: The Psychology of Money —4 Ways Your Brain is Working Against You, I personally found it facinating!
