Money and Emotions
When is the last time you sat down and thought about your money beliefs? Perhaps many of you are thinking, “I haven’t sat down lately, let alone had much thinking time”. It may be time to stop and take a serious look at the current relationship between you and your money.
You may belong to the group that says, “Sure money talks, but mine keeps telling me goodbye.” So take a moment and answer this question: How do you feel about money? Sounds simple enough, but for most people it is a very emotional subject. And unfortunately for many, it is the lack of money that causes the most stress in our lives.
Studies prove that over 80% of all major lottery winners are bankrupt in less than 5 years of receiving their windfall. Why? In general, it’s because they do not understand how to make money work for them after having their entire lives working for money. So they just spend and spend and enjoy it until it’s gone, all too soon.
Interestingly, it has also been said that if all the money in the world was distributed evenly among the people, within 5 years the rich would be rich again and the poor would be poor. Why? Wealthy people understand the dynamics of money and how it works. People who understand these “secrets” are never down for long. They simply use their money skills to rebuild their fortunes.
If you are not as financially secure as you would like to be, then chances are high that you are holding onto some negative beliefs about yourself and about money. Very often it is our beliefs not our circumstances that hold us back from getting ahead or from accumulating significant wealth. The following beliefs could be holding you back from realizing your true financial potential.
“I don’t deserve it”
The belief that you are somehow unworthy or should achieve success may be the largest factor preventing you from achieving your financial goals and dreams. When people feel that don’t deserve wealth or a pay raise or just can’t picture themselves out of their rut, they close their eyes to opportunities before them every day. These same people are often negative about what others have and spend most of their energy telling themselves and others all the reasons why they aren’t further ahead. This can be referred to as the “poor, poor me” syndrome where one constantly feels a victim of circumstances.
What can be done if you suffer from this very real handicap in your own life? You must come to realize you deserve to have it all. A great way to overcome this obstacle is to participate in ongoing personal development. If you are not doing this, you are limiting your earning potential. Remember the lottery winners above. You have to grow right along with your bank account or you will find ways to jeopardize your good fortune.
“We can’t afford that”
Many of us grew up hearing these words and we took them and made them our own. We now say the same things to our children. A better question to ask yourself is “How can we afford this?” It’s also important to get to the place where you might say, “I can afford that, but realize it won’t help me get any closer to my financial goals”. Realize you must decide to be part of the solution not part of the problem.
“I’ll be happy when…”
Closely related to the “we can’t afforders” are the “if I only hadders”. These are the people that fall into a painful trap of thinking that they cannot possibly be happy until something occurs. I’ll be happy when I get a bigger house. I’ll really be happy when I get a different job or find the right mate or have lots of money. Finding joy and contentment in the present moment is a rare and wonderful treasure. Again, it comes from being secure in who you are and realizing money doesn’t buy happiness. Sure, it can make life a lot less stressful and a lot more fun. Happiness is something that comes from within you. Perhaps you have heard that love is a decision; well so is happiness, so decide to wake up every morning and be blissfully content right where you are. Not in a stuck mode or a limiting mode, but instead in a way that helps you realize you have everything you need to be happy.
“Money is the root of all evil”
Money is neutral; it is neither good nor bad in and of itself. It can be used for great and noble causes or for death and destruction. It is what people do with money that can be good or evil, not the money itself. And besides, the actual quote is “The love of money is the root of evil”. So watch carefully to see if you are serving money or money is serving you.
“I don’t think I can”
We’ve probably all heard the wisdom of Wayne Gretzky: “You always miss the shot you don’t take”. When people don’t take action because they are afraid to fail, guess what? By not even trying they already have failed. You have already succeeded by just moving forward. You may not achieve all your objectives right away, but moving forward will allow you to learn some valuable lessons. And that makes it more likely you’ll succeed next time.
“Rich people are greedy and dishonest”
The first person to spread this untruth must have been a poor person. The fact is that most people who become wealthy are at least aware of the spiritual principles that allowed them to prosper. A key part of that is tithing, which means giving back from your abundance. Rich people are among the most generous, too, and most started the habit of giving long before they had a lot of money. Is this a coincidence?
Take a good, long look at how you feel about money and discover what might be holding you back from financial wellness. Start with taking some positive action and surround yourself with people who know today’s money rules.
If you would like a good place to begin having a better relationship with money, read my blog about debt and how using this free debt payoff calculator can save you $$$ Click here!
