Everyone has their own view of money. Your view of money dictates the kind of relationship you have with money. Generally, your feelings towards money are a reflection of your past experiences, your upbringing, and your personal values. By being aware of your past experiences and how they shape your views on money, you can heal your relationship with it. Seeing money as a positive and empowering tool can help you to change the way you work with it making it easier to save, to spend responsibly, or to embrace it and increase the amount you generate. You can change your financial status in the world by changing your views on money. To understand your relationship with money so that you can direct your wealth to where you want it to be, ask yourself the following questions.
What emotions come to mind about money?
Does money intimidate you? Does it excite you? Do you feel empowered or overwhelmed? Does it feel like money might come with a hefty price tag, like sacrificing too much personal time or compromising your mental well being in order to earn it? If you want to heal your relationship with money you need to dig deep to learn about your beliefs around money.
What beliefs do I hold about money?
Belief is powerful. This is not an esoteric theory, it’s a fact. As an adult, you wouldn’t leave milk and cookies out for Santa anymore (if you have no children in the home) because you don’t believe in him. This is an example of how your beliefs hold power over your actions. If you don’t believe you can be wealthy, your actions, although unintentional, will automatically not strive towards that because you don’t believe it’s a possibility. If you want control over your financial status, you have to learn what your underlying beliefs around money might be.
What words come to mind when you think about money?
Don’t overthink it – just jot down the first words that come to mind when you think about money. This powerful exercise will reveal if you hold an unconscious fear of money. You might hold a deep-seated belief that wealth means working yourself to the point of burnout, or perhaps in the past you’ve known wealthy people that were unkind and you believe that this is a pre-requisite to being wealthy. Because of your background, you might feel a sense of shame attached to wealth. These are just examples but it’s important to discover what your deepest belief about money is so that you can start work rectifying these beliefs and healing your relationship with money.
What does money mean to you, and how does it fit into your values or life goals?
What is your life goal? We’re not talking about the car you want to drive one day but rather the entire picture; the life you want to live. Spend some time pondering that and think about how money would empower that goal. For some people, their ultimate life goal involves some sort of humanitarian work but this is unique to each person. While doing this exercise, try to avoid thinking within realistic parameters in your mind and allow your mind to dream big. If you could do anything with your life purpose, what would it be? How would money empower that? Now you can begin to see money as a tool to empower yourself with.
Debunking 4 belief-systems that lead to a negative relationship with money
- Myth 1 – Wealthy people are selfish: There are many wealthy people who are incredibly giving. In face, having access to wealth means the opportunities to give more are enormous.
- Myth 2 – Having more money means working harder: Being wealthy does not mean you have to sacrifice more time or energy than you already are. One of the most disempowering and self-limiting beliefs people hold about money is that it comes at the cost of your mental well-being because you have to work yourself to the bone. You might not see a way towards wealth right now (other than working multiple jobs) but by working at changing this belief, you’re creating the mindset for recognising opportunities.
- Myth 3: Money is the root of all evil: Money is a tool that empowers people. Money empowers positive change in the hands of kind people. Money empowers evil in the hands of people with selfish intentions. If you hold this belief system, you already hold positive intentions. Money in your hands will empower positivity because you have the power to make it so.
- Myth 4 – You’ll feel guilty about having money: There will always be people with less than you and there will always be people with more than you, regardless of your financial status. If you have more, you have the power to help others. Remember, if you only ever save yourself, it’s one person rescued and you’re as entitled to that as anyone else, even if you do it for yourself.
How many times at new year do you hear that people want to save more, spend less, and learn to budget better? They know they should but they don’t do it. Why not? It is because their values and beliefs stop them. These stories that sit deep down away from their conscious thoughts undermine their good intentions and their ability to take action. This is why money won’t solve a money-problem. A money problem stems from a belief-system and you need to rewrite your beliefs about money to heal the relationship with your finances before you can truly step up and take the action that is needed to bring about success and abundance.