How To Transform Your Thoughts, Feelings, And Beliefs Around Money
It’s true that money can’t buy you happiness… but be careful telling that to the people struggling with finances and responsibilities, or just plain fear of their economic future. How we feel about money does matter: in how we earn it, avoid it, spend it irresponsibly, hoard it, or treat it greedily.
For those of you familiar with my work, you know the core of my teaching is examining your ‘money blueprint’: the thoughts and feelings you attach to your perception of money. I hear something like this more often than I could count: ‘When I go to spend on myself I feel guilty, or when my immediate family asks for money I feel resistance.”
The question is why someone would feel guilt.
Thoughts precede feeling, so what thought is in front of the feeling of guilt?
That answer is going to be different for everyone. It could be based on what you saw when you were young from one or both parents. It could be based on what you heard about money. It could be based on an incident that occurred where you lost money, somebody you know went bankrupt, or where there was no food.
You don’t have to be a psychologist to figure out that if you have negative thoughts around money, your experiences with money are going to be what? Negative.
The point is for us to become conscious of those thoughts that impede our happiness and security, including financially. In my experience there are many, many people who don’t realize how their perceptions of money are shaped by past experiences that are still affecting their present and, potentially, their future.
So how do you begin changing those negative thoughts and feelings toward money into a pattern that serves you and your financial future?
EXERCISE:
Find a quiet space and take a few moments to relax: deep breaths, meditation music, whatever gets you there.
Now honestly examine how you feel when you think of the word “money.” What kinds of feelings does this word bring up: anxiety; a penny-pinching impulse; an impulse to buy something you know you shouldn’t that leads to guilt? Guilt over not having enough? Have enough but still miserable?
Believe me, I’ve heard it all! There’s nothing new under the sun when it comes to people’s relationship with money. The urgency here is for you to be honest with yourself, even if negative feelings and thoughts come up. The whole point is to transform those into thoughts and feelings that serve you.
Once you’ve identified the truth of your emotional relationship with money, go to what created that emotion. What happened to make you feel that way? What’s the event behind the emotion? Memories of parents arguing over finances? A broken relationship due to money issues? Experiences of poverty? Spending so much on something unnecessary that it cost you something else that was important to you?
Once you’ve identified the moments, experiences, or root causes of your current emotional responses to money, hold that thought in your heart and say, “Thank you for the lessons you taught me, but now I need to let you go.” Really meditate on this until you’re not just believing what you’re saying, but you know it to be true.
There’s a saying that the past does not equal the future, but I don’t fully agree with that. The past does equal the future if you continue to do the past. You have to stop reacting to what happened in the past for there to be a new future.
The universe is kind of like a big brother. It says, “If you can’t handle what you’ve got, why should I give you any more? Show me you can balance!” The universe wants what’s best for you. Know that you can handle money and you’ll get more. That’s how it works.
Take a few moments to examine your emotional relationship to money. Ideally take at least 30 minutes to an hour. The investment of time is well worth transforming your financial future!
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Excelente!! ¿Tienes alguna fecha para tu curso de mente millonaria en Mexico? Saludos bendiciones !
Its a great lesson. I have come to realise that the universe is patient enough but it gives me what i want. If i manage the little it gives, the more it gives depending with my handling habit.
It is a wonderful article.I am going to use it immediately.Let me see how it works for me.
how i can generate more money from my garment retail business
Raman
2 things..
1) How do you solve more problems for your customers? Think about what your customers need more of and provide more of that solution to them.
2) How can you increase the amount of transactions or customers you have. What marketing activities will help you do that? What products can you offer to increase an average customer transaction?
Think in these terms and you will do better
thank you for sharing your this article about finanacial blueprint of money. it will help me to have a good relationship with money.
Such an awesome article with simple and easy understanding way. Thank you 🙂
Brilliant article ,love it and it really works if you apply it in your day to day money matters,thank you for sharing
Thanks for giving out your time to share the truth, it really help.
How can I generate more money as a new author?
Great article and great advice. This 30 minutes investment can change evrything. Thanks a lot
Thank you for pouring your knowledge into me!
Just reading the information on this post was already worth it! IMAGINE executing the exercise!
regards, thanks for this wonderfull lesson on money plz give more ways to think positive about money.jasbir
I have a small retail store. I regularly received a delivery of stock every month but i’m not able to sell them all, so, it ended up in my stockroom and it is costing me more capital that i failed to roll-over. I desire to sell to big customers that can purchase in bulk, but i had not really tried to do it because i’m shy and afraid or maybe lazy to do the selling. How can I change my attitude?
My Husband and I owned a Little Mexican Restaurant and sold it back to his family to go to Hawaii Because we were finding out a lot of things about how the food is made and decided we no longer wanted to be part of it. so when we got to Hawaii to do gardening, things didn’t turn out how we imagined or I should say expect, we sort of got betrayed, because the Lady who offered us the job lied to us about a few things. Four months later we went back to AZ at the Restaurant working for them, and now I feel like I lost all my finances!, I feel pretty terrible :..(
Hey, thank you for all you have given for people to change their lives. I have red your book “millionare thinking” and since then I really have changed my life already on way of thinking. at least I have begun happier person. I don’t have dad mind all the time and I’m trying to figure out new possibilities. composing “what if questions” and trying to greate positive thinking every day even though there are still troubles to go through.- like you said ” there is no troubles which can’t be solved” and this is my new thinking. thank you and I really hope I can take a part of your seminar one day!!
Thank you Harv
Great article, Harv.
About money thermostat, I knew my money thermostat level.
I already have new target (my money thermostat), but I still confused
about how to raise it to that level ?
I love this topic. Back in the day when I was a young mom and managing a family of six, I was running our home out of checkbook. Every month the same thing happened, not enough money for all the bills and God forbid somebody went to the emergency room, etc.
My neighbor told me about Quicken so I enrolled him in coming over to teach me how to use it. I started operating our household with a plan, mapping out the month. This is how I was able to increase our wealth and get into balance. I also felt grounded knowing where everything went and that it was all paid on time.
I eventually had other people asking me how to do this and I became a business owner – The Household CEO.
Now I help people set up accounting programs for their homes and small businesses and I teach them how to do this work. It is my experience that when I enter transactions, track money, I feel the flow of the cash. When my clients do this, they feel the flow of their cash. Entering 25 coffee transactions in a period of a month has a bit of a motivational impact to change that action.
I feel better when my bills are paid on time, when I am using the jar system, and not feeling guilty but instead knowing that it is just a flow of energy of taking care of myself.
Thanks for this lesson and all of your comments.
The Parable of the Bags of Gold Matthew 25
…
22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Great article! Very straight forward! I will definitely use this method to transform my thoughts about money… Thanks!
Excellent Post that has helped me improve my relationship with money. I was doing the exercise and was surprised by what I discovered. I’m already improving. Harv Thanks for your tips.
I loved your book and I think you’re so inspiring Harv but I am more broke than ever these days. I’ve never been able to get ahead somehow. I know what the causes are and I’ve tried the saving, then suddenly received a huge bill or had my car break down and had to start again. I don’t like being negative and spent the last five years trying to get my head around this but I have to be honest, I’m sick of money.
I appreciate very much your pointers about attitude towards money. I will try your suggestion in order to find out for myself what is holding me up from getting rich. Thanks again , Nemie
I really appreciate ur write up about our thought and feelings affecting our money strength, but I have a question on how to publicise my snacks product, what approach is best suitable for me to use sir? Thanks.