What Is Your Money Mindset?

So many people have a mindset about money that is negative. They either don’t make enough of it or believe too many people are trying to take it. This thinking probably started a long time ago when they were children.

In some households children were taught it was “impolite” to talk about money. In other households children were led to believe money was the root of all evil. Still in other households children witnessed parents arguing and even divorcing over money.

Money is linked to so many emotional sentiments in our lives that it is no wonder so many people battle with getting a healthy mindset about it.

A great way to achieve a new or more positive mindset about money is to examine what it is that truly makes you happy.

Does your vision of personal happiness include a scenario where your bills are paid and you’re free to pursue interests and hobbies at leisure? Or is your ideal lifestyle one where you re working with people who share your vision and passion for life as colleagues or business partners?

Whatever your dream, you can bet that money will likely have a role to play in bringing that dream to reality…but that’s okay.

Break down your lifestyle dream into manageable chunks. Then determine the steps you have to take to reach that lifestyle goal. You’ll find that working towards realizing a lifestyle goal can help you to create a healthier relationship with your money.

For example, if you want to spend more of your “down” time traveling but can’t see how you can afford it, begin the process of figuring out what steps you need to take to realize that lifestyle.

If you were one of those kids that was taught that money wasn’t something you talked about, then maybe you haven’t talked about your goal with your life partner, friends or even your employer. They all may have a part to play in you realizing your dream of traveling.

Your first step is to envision how you could travel more in your life and how soon you could begin.

Choose a destination – just one. Investigate the cost of getting to that destination and when you could spend some reasonable amount of time there.

Resist the temptation to say you can’t afford the trip and keep going…

Next you’ll want to determine the total cost of your trip. Let’s say you find out the trip will cost you $3,000. Don’t back down; continue pursuing this goal.

Look at your budget and examine where you are spending your income. Is your discretionary income going towards activities that support your goal? If it isn’t, start making hard decisions about how you are spending your money.

When is the last time you received a raise? If you haven’t thought about your lifelong goals and their relationship to money, you likely haven’t been very aggressive about your earnings. Discuss your performance with your employer. You may find that they are so pleased with the work you do that they are more than willing to revisit your pay scale and reward you with a raise.

If you’re self-employed, perhaps now is a time to revisit your rates and implement a long overdue increase.

Essentially this is an exercise about articulating your goals and taking control of the money you generate and spend to help realize those goals. By confronting fears and long-standing assumptions about money, you can achieve a healthier mindset about money and make lasting, positive changes in your life.

That’s it for now. Until next time Divas, wear your heels well and Be Blessed!

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