Creating a New Money Mindset
What you need to shift your focus to one of abundance
Money. It’s a topic that holds a ton of emotion. Do you feel guilt when you buy something you really don’t need? Do you let greed rear its ugly head from time to time? Do you feel unworthy when you don’t reach a goal with monetary benefits? All of these emotions get in the way — especially when you’re trying to build a life you love. That’s why we’re going to target ways to create a better money mindset and shift our focus to one of abundance.
The simple truth is your financial situation is a direct result of your own thoughts and actions. We can’t always control our circumstances, but we can choose how we respond to them. First things first: We need to realize that, when you break it down, money is just an exchange of something of value for something else of value. So, it’s time to kick out any ugly thoughts and fears that leave us feeling deflated.
Instead, if you believe you have the strength, power and wit to financially figure it out, you more than likely will.
SIX STEPS TO SWITCHING UP YOUR MONEY MINDSET
Be aware of your financial situation. This is where a spreadsheet can come in handy. Type in all of the categories of monthly spending. Write down your living expenses like your rent or mortgage payment, utilities, insurance, credit card payments, monthly grocery bill, auto expenses including gas, entertainment expenses, cell phone bill, etc. Review your list. What’s right and what’s not right with the numbers?
Take the next step and make some goals based on your expenses. What can you cut back on or better control in order to make meaningful changes to help you reach your financial goals? Do you want to beef up your savings? Do you want to create a little extra for that family vacation you haven’t taken in years? Make these goals matter!
Take time to brainstorm new ways to open up the gates to receiving more abundance — what could you do that would allow more money to flow to you? Do you need a side hustle? Or, could you shift the work you do in order to open up new opportunities?
Now, create a money plan that factors in savings, giving, income and dealing with debt.
Put your money plan in action by creating a budget that factors all of these categories into real-life circumstances.
Reinforce your plan by taking out all of those limiting beliefs that replace “I can’t” with “I will and here’s how.” Tell yourself meaningful things like, “No matter how much money I make, I am making positive choices about what I do with it.” Come up with your own affirmations to help keep you on track. Visualize success.
Another step to creating a successful “money story,” is to look at your debt, really look at it, by first looking at your assets in life. Do you own your own home? Do you have a retirement account? How about investments? What does your savings account look like? Once you add up the value of your assets, then subtract your debts. That’s your real debt number, not the number you might see staring at you from your credit card bill.
Once you see that you have made some positive moves on your financial path, you’ll most likely have the confidence to realize that the possibilities to attract this kind of abundance are infinite. If you feel like you could be doing a bit better, it’s easy to look at the numbers you’ve gathered in step 1 above and tell yourself, “I’m going to choose to make my money story different.”
All that’s left is taking action. Know your numbers and put some value to them. Kick your fears to the curb. Practice gratitude for what you do have in life and remove all of those mental blocks that stand in your way of making your money goals realities.
The beautiful thing about addressing your money mindset is that each small or big success creates confidence that can spill into other areas of your life. And that, my friends, is what a life of abundance is all about.
As entrepreneurs and big dreamers, you continually search for ways to connect with other professionals and tap into those efficient ways to make your dreams a reality. Big Sky Women has created an online platform to connect, network and ask questions that will help you build the life you dream of with a community of fellow boss women. To learn more about becoming a member, visit bigskywomen.com.
