How to change your negative money mindset
The first step in solving any problem is to recognise that there is one in the first place.
If you need helping to determine whether you have a negative money mindset, use this exercise here in my previous blog. – (How to tell if you have a negative money mindset)
If you are here because you have recognised your bad thoughts around money (and quite frankly, it is getting on your tits and you are now ready to do something about it), WELL DONE.
You have done the hardest bit and you should be celebrating because now you can do something about it.
There is a quote by Lao Tze, a wise, ancient Chinese philosopher and writer that says:
“Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”
Basically what this means is that if you think bad thoughts around money (whatever that might look like for you), that WILL become your reality.
I wrote all about this in my blog about The Law of Attraction.
Maybe you manage your money incredibly well, have a growing pile of savings and a banging budget but you feel uncomfortable spending your money. Maybe you never look in your bank account, you live paycheck to paycheck and the money in your savings account only is enough to cover 50% of coffee. Either way it is having a negative impact on your life and that ain’t cute.
So now that you have recognised something needs to change, what to do next?
To change the way you handle your money, you must change your thoughts around it.
Tell yourself that you are good with money
Tell yourself you are responsible with your finances
Tell yourself you are in control of your situation
Tell yourself you can budget and you can save
Even if you don’t believe it straight away, push through and repeat good, affirming thoughts. Over time, it will become a habit to think positively and the better you will feel when it comes to thinking or acting upon your financial situation.
Here are some new thoughts to help you break your bad mindset towards money:
Day before pay day
Get super excited to get paid because it means you can put money towards your financial goals. Try to set realistic but exciting goals in place!
The day you get paid
Work on your budget before you get paid so you know exactly where money will be going from the start of the month/week. Treating yourself is 100% allowed but work it into your budget!
Your financial situation
Remove the phrase “I am bad with money” from your vocab. Replace with “I am good with money”, or if this is too much of a contract, start with “I am working on having a healthy relationship with money”
Your ability to budget
Budgets are not about being tight or restrictive; think about budgeting as a helpful tool that gives you freedom. Give budgeting a try and set your self realistic budgets otherwise you are setting yourself up to fail!
Spending your money
You don’t have to earn the right to spend your money. If your purchase aligns with your financial goals, fits within your budget and brings you value, then it is not a waste – read my blog on this here. Remind yourself of the reason for the purchase and tell yourself you do deserve it. (p.s. do not use this as an excuse to go crazy and spend on things outside the budget).
Saving money
If you do not ‘see the point’ of saving, then it means you don’t value having savings and will always dip back into them. Try finding ‘a point’ to saving. Set yourself a goal for that money, and understand how important it really is to have savings.
Spending on your credit card
If you are only using the credit card because you physically do not have that money and technically cannot afford it… instead of saying to yourself ‘I deserve this purchase‘, change the thought to ‘I deserve a life where I do not have to work until I am 80 years old just to pay off the debt I got myself into’.
Future plans
If you do not have a plan for your money (both short-term and long-term) then you will never be able to truly shift your situation. You know what they say; fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Start small and open up a pension with your employer, or think about what type of life you want to live in 5, 10, 20 years and see if how you live now aligns with those future goals.
WHO IS READY TO CHANGE THEIR MINDSET?!
Happy PMA’ing
Laura xx
