Why Your Money Mindset Matters

Money is a subject most of us feel uncomfortable talking about. Whether it’s our current income or addressing our financial goals, we get squeamish and prefer to avoid the conversation altogether. Your money mindset is influenced by a myriad of factors including your personal experiences with money. From your upbringing to cultural norms, simple things like the way your parents handled or talked about money have all influenced your deeply ingrained beliefs from an early age.

Plus, in today’s go-go-go culture, we’ve grown impatient. We hate waiting for money and rarely play the long game. And when we don’t get results right away, we feel disheartened as though we’ve failed.

That’s exactly why you need to heal your money mindset. Your money mindset is your conscious and subconscious set of beliefs and attitudes about money. It matters because your self-limiting money beliefs are the biggest thing holding you back from making money and becoming your best self. Making changes with your money mindset will help you better serve yourself and those around you.

Here are some common money beliefs that may be holding you back:

• Money is the key to happiness. Success won’t bring you happiness. Happiness will bring you success. Reverse the process and focus on finding true happiness.
• Money is the root of all evil. How you choose to pursue or spend your money doesn’t automatically make you “evil”. You have the power to be the kind of person you want to be.
• You need to work harder to make more. There’s no point in working hard if it goes unnoticed. Seek new ways to share and implement ideas that will help to serve you and others.
• Money doesn’t grow on trees. There is an abundance of money, you just need to find the right idea, people, product/ service, and be in the right channel.
• More money leads to more problems. It’s also hard to be broke. The only problems you’ll have are the ones you create for yourself.
• You don’t deserve to be “rich”. Feelings of unworthiness lead to self-sabotage. Open yourself up to opportunities by practising a healthy mindset.
• Money needs to be saved. If your savings sit idly in the bank, you’ll never give it the chance to grow. Make wise investment decisions to outweigh the risk of losing it.

Don’t get me wrong, money shouldn’t be your #1 focus in life. But if you want to regain control of your finances and successfully achieve your big-picture goals, you need to start with your mindset.

Good or bad, your beliefs drive your behaviour. It shapes the way you feel about people who make more or less money than you, how giving you are, how you feel about debt and navigating perceived risks. It filters into your everyday life by impacting all your financial decisions.

Develop a healthy relationship with money and allow your mindset to evolve as new opportunities come your way.

6 ways to start shifting your money mindset

1. Develop an awareness and understanding

Pay attention to your thoughts, behaviours and actions around money. What negative or self-limiting beliefs have held you back? Write those down.

2. Turn those limiting beliefs into positive affirmations

Rewrite your limiting beliefs as positive affirmations in the present tense. Train and rewire your subconscious mind to embrace this new reality.

3. Identify the money problems you want to solve

To find the solution, you first need to identify the problem. Whether you want to pay off debts or get a pay raise, write it down so you can tackle it.

4. Start forming new money habits and set clear goals

If you’ve never looked at your financial statements or have turned a blind eye to your spending, start tracking your expenses. If you’re already tracking your spending, then set a financial goal or budget and stick to it.

5. Read personal finance books to educate yourself

If you haven’t read ‘You Are a Badass at Making Money‘ by Jen Sincero, do yourself a favour and get on it TODAY! This book will push you forward in leaps and bounds when it comes to your money mindset. Taking a creative/ spiritual approach to how we think about money, it’s relatable, easy to understand, and entertaining. Highly recommend!

6. Stop comparing yourself to others and practice gratitude

When you start being grateful for the things you do have, you start focusing on the positives and being proud of your small and big wins. It also prevents you from taking shortcuts for instant gratification.

Make the choice to start changing your money mindset TODAY.

Regardless of where you’re from, what you grew up with or what you’ve experienced, you have the power to change your story. Late is better than never. You need to intentionally shift towards a healthier mindset around money, finance and wealth building.

One small action can lead to big rewards. Believe in yourself and allow your money mindset to flourish.

For more money mindset tips, tune into my ‘Make Your Break’ podcast where I dish out tips, inspiration and interviews to help you level up personally and professionally.

Here are a few to get you started!