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This topic is a bit underrated with finance gurus and people who are really big on manifestation. Many people want to be financially stable and free, but also feel guilt, fear, and hopelessness because of their deeply rooted biases toward money.
These biases aren’t the fault of anyone really, they usually start to form when a child sees their parents struggle and stress about it, and when the amount of money you have feels more like a punishment than a gift.
There can also be deeply rooted jealousy for those who had/ have the money you never did, which means they had all of the stuff you wanted, and their problems seemed much less difficult.
The problem is, not only will you be unable to manifest wealth, but even if you get wealth you will not be able to enjoy it as much. You will also most likely continue any harmful financial habits you have because of your outlook on money.
This topic is as important as going to therapy and healing past trauma you have been through, ESPECIALLY if you want to be financially successful.
Before we dive into some methods to improve your money mindset, here are some helpful reminders and healthy perspectives on how you can think about money.
Selfishness & Greed
Many people think that in order to build wealth you need to be fixated on money and be greedy and cold. Especially when you are a woman, saying you care about money or your career can be looked down upon.
There are often such opposing opinions on money and the nature of people who have it. There is a mental image of a manipulative, rude, analytical CEO that exploits others to stay at the top of the food chain. People tend to have this subconscious idea that you either have to lean into it to find success, or reject monetary prosperity completely.
Good news! You do not have to be cold and heartless to make money. You do not have to be a scammer. You do not have to own a business. You do not have to climb a corporate ladder and sacrifice your life to a green piece of paper.
“We all have to get over our starving artist romanticism, and the idea that touching money inherently corrupts creativity” – Show Your Work! By Austin Kleon
Learn to detach from these harmful outlooks and realize that money can be a beautiful thing, used in beautiful ways, earned by beautiful means. When you do this, making money becomes a lot more fun and easy.
Choose to believe that another person’s wealth does not take away from your own. Treat their success as your success, learn from them, and look forward to experiencing the same or even greater success.
They are a person just like you. In order to attract money you need to uplift and support those who have made progress.
Life is not a competition. It is not a race. We all are on the same team, and when you show love and support for others, it will come back to you tenfold.
Purpose of Money
One of the most important takeaways from all this is that money is simply a tool. Nothing more, and nothing less.
Money is like fire.
When you are constantly seeing forest fires and burns on peoples skin, you will be reluctant to start a small fire to cook your food, or clean your water, or keep you warm.
When in the wrong hands, fire can be dangerous and harmful, but in the right hands, it can sustain life and provide warmth, community, and joy. Singing campfire songs is an incredibly fun activity with friends after all.
All you need to do is make sure your hands are the right hands. Learn about money. Think about what wonderful things you could use it for. Teach others about financial safety and intelligence. It has the power to change everything for the better.
It is important to figure out exactly why you want money. There are a few reasons for this.
- If you don’t have a reason or purpose in making money, you won’t really bother actually making it.
Do you want to buy a house? Travel? Give your family a more carefree life? Or simply just have peace of mind?
These are all very valid and good reasons to want more money. It is just important to fully understand your own motives. When it gets hard or boring, it is very helpful to have a goal to hang on to so you don’t give up.
2. If what you want has mostly to do with impressing others, it won’t end well.
Once I really wanted an electric guitar for Christmas. I thought electric guitars were really cool and I thought people who played them were also really cool. See where this is going? I am all for trying new things, but it was only after I got the guitar that I realized my motivations were a bit misplaced.
Spoiler alert: I never learned or played the guitar. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Just turned out to not be my thing. But it would have been nice to realize that sooner so I could have asked for something I was actually interested in doing, regardless of how others could perceive it.
In another blog post called “21 Questions To Help You Discover Your Dream Lifestyle”, one of the questions pertains to this idea quite well.
If nobody would know what you did with the rest of your life, what would you do?
There is Always a Balance
Letting money flow out of your life is as important as letting flow in. Figure out what is most important to you, and spend your money in ways that are the most fulfilling.
Be generous with your money when it matters. It is always important to save, but if you are skipping two meals a day to do so, it might be a good idea to reexamine your priorities and try to find other methods.
Trusting That You Deserve It
Money doesn’t have to be something you chase or fight for your whole life
Many money and finance books have 1 similar concept: Make your money make you money. Aka make making money easy. Make it happen even when you aren’t thinking about it.
You do not have to trade your time for money. Or trade your food, relationships, or soul. It can be fun and easy to make money, if you find a way to do it that fits you.
If you want to manifest money in your life, you have to believe that it is out there for you, you deserve it, and the universe is just trying to get it to you.
There is absolutely no point in wallowing in the idea that nothing will ever get better and because you are poor you will inevitably struggle forever. Artists learn how to draw, musicians learn how to play, you can learn how to make and handle money.
Changing your mind is easier said than done, but it can be done. And doing it could possibly be the most worthwhile venture of your life.
Acceptance
You do not have control over the whole world. There are a lot of things to be upset about when it comes to money, for good reason too. However, staying in poverty doesn’t really help anyone else either.
Once you have enough for yourself, you have more opportunity to give.
Money will flow in and out of your life like river water. You must let go in order to welcome more. For example, when you invest.
Life moves in waves. Broke now does not mean broke forever. If you are struggling financially remember that this too shall pass and there is always an opportunity for things to get better.
Things To Do
Writing a Letter to Money
When I first decided that I wanted to have a future where I was financially literate and free, I realized my own guilt and thought patterns would be stopping me more than anything else.
It can feel impossible to fix your view on money, especially if you are still financially unstable. Many people don’t even realize they have such a negative view of money.
So, take out a piece of paper and a pencil, and start a letter with “dear money,”.
If you could talk to money (the concept of money, money itself), what would you want to say?
This is the part where you get it all out. What do you hate about it? Does it scare you? Do you wish it didn’t exist? Dig deep and let yourself indulge a bit in describing your feelings and reasonings.
Now that you got all that out, try to think about the ideas in this post. If you want to try again with money, if you want it to come to you, you need to welcome the idea that it can be a force for good.
Write about what wonderful things you could accomplish and do with it. Acknowledge that it is simply a resource, not the goal itself.
Get in touch with your past, accept it, and look towards a brighter future. This is only the beginning.
Meditation and Affirmations
Meditating, even if it isn’t about money, is always a good idea and can help you in every aspect of your life. Meditating while listening or thinking of positive affirmations about money can be incredibly empowering. Here are a couple affirmations to start with.
Money flows to me at all times
I find it so easy to make money
I am disciplined, and have the power to create my perfect future
I love being generous with my money
I love to learn about wealth
The money I want is already on its way to me
I believe in myself
I spend my money only on things that make me and loved ones truly happy
Being Open About Money
Finally, the concept of money and individual finances can be a taboo or slightly uncomfortable topic to talk about. Especially if you feel embarrassed or confused about it.
Put in effort to be more open about your desire to learn more about it with people you trust. Make sure you are not judgemental towards others when it comes to money, and encourage openness regarding the topic.
It is okay to take baby steps, you never need to shout from the rooftops how much is in your bank account, but it is okay to talk about it and even ask for help or advice (from someone you trust, and is good with money of course). If there is no one you feel comfortable talking to, you can always spend time hearing others stories and writing about it in a journal.
You can also read books about it!
Books!
Here are a couple great books for this topic!
