Money is a topical subject. All of the human endeavours are directly or indirectly linked to money. The sad thing is that most people do not understand how money works. It might even seem odd to say but many people do not know what money is. As in, the truest essence of what money is, many do not quite know. Money is an intelligent entity which response to several stimuli. For example, money responds to fear, doubt, and hesitation; it is repelled by such. Money responds to principles. When you really go to the root you will realize money is all about how you think. Many people have destructive or disruptive mindsets that repel money. That is why you need to rewire your brain if you want to make more money. Here are 3 ways to achieve that:
Identify And Get Rid Of Negative Emotions Towards Money
Most of you may have negative emotions or mental strongholds towards money. By mental stronghold, I am referring to lies you have established in your thinking. You actually hold or count those lies as true when in fact they are falsehoods. Such mental strongholds end up informing your attitudes, emotions, and behaviours. Ultimately your decisions end up being premises on them. Some of the lies people believe about money are weird. Here are some examples:
I do not and will never have enough money to invest
I have to work hard for money
I do not deserve to have more money
Being rich is evil
Money is evil or is the root of all evil
Money is limited and for a select few
I cannot make money because I am not educated
I cannot make money because I am not connected to powerful or influential people
I can go on and on, the examples are infinite. Negative emotions towards money stem from many things. It can be how we were raised, the environment, the people we hang out with, and so on. Over the years those aspects have built our mindsets. For most, their emotions towards money are negative. They may even rationalize that and deem it normal. Yet they will not be realizing they are blocking money from coming their way. I know this may sound philosophical to some of you but this is the foundation. If you do not fix your emotions or mindset towards money you will struggle to make or have more of it. Identify and get rid of the limiting beliefs or lies you have towards money. Be ruthlessly honest with yourself.
Feast On Healthy Financial Content
From our previous point, you can tell that the focus is the mind. Mind management is important especially when it comes to financial well-being. After all, we are looking at rewiring your brain or re-engineering your mind. In the Bible, there is a scripture in Proverbs 23 verse 7, part of which says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…” The Passion Translation puts it better by saying, “For as he thinks within himself, so is he” James Allen even has a book titled As A Man Thinketh. I do not want to become too spiritual, technical, or scientific. However, you need to know that thoughts are programmable. You can deliberately and consciously work on your mind (i.e. your thoughts).
This entails unlearning (removing old and inconsistent thought patterns) and learning (supplanting them with accurate and consistent ones). The source material for that exchange is healthy financial content. It is your responsibility to assimilate it so that you reorder your mind. Once you do that you will both think and speak right (remember words have power). Find books, podcasts, YouTube videos, and so on that contain healthy financial content. There is plenty of that online. Make it a point to feast on such content daily! Just an example, you can check out How We Made It In Africa. You will be inspired to see financial possibilities all around.
Cultivate An Abundance Mindset
An abundance mindset is having a strong conviction or belief that there is always more in your life. It is a mental disposition to see and anticipate more money, more opportunities, more options, more avenues, more resources, and so on. This is a mindset that does not just pop up; you have to cultivate it. Interestingly, cultivating an abundance mindset has its roots in you grasping the power of your thoughts. Then it also extends to you making a conscious decision to surround yourself with abundance-conscious people. Cultivating an abundance mindset also calls on you to exercise gratitude all the time. Have an attitude of gratitude. This may sound cliché or sound like a mere platitude but that is the key. Here are examples of what it means to cultivate an abundance mindset:
Thinking big
Collaborating with others
Being generous
Seeing possibilities and opportunities in everything
Contributing to the success of others
The more you do this in your life, the more you will never lack. You will always have more and more will keep coming in. Like Henri Nouwen once said, “When we give generously, with an abundance mentality, what we give away will multiply”.
Start practising these 3 principles today and be consistent. I can guarantee you that you will begin to see remarkable changes in your finances. Scientifically, it is said that if you want to rewire your brain for the long haul, you must visualize your desires for at least 45 days (roughly 10 or so minutes daily). There is a direct correlation between practising these 3 principles and financial increase. I dare you to put them to work in your life. There is definitely programming (often negative) you got in your childhood growing up. You have the responsibility to fix it and you can. “If you cannot control your emotions, you cannot control your money” – Warren Buffet.
