Does crunching the numbers for your small business make you crabby? If you’re consistently stressed about money—having enough of it, handling it, or making it work FOR you—it’s time to re-evaluate. Making some key mindset shifts can help you improve your relationship with money.
Why Is It Important To Make Money Mindset Shifts?
Mindset shifts can change everything about your financial wellness (and how you feel)! The way you think about money has the ability to turn your life—or the way you invite success into your life—completely around.
There are two main money mindsets to consider: scarcity and abundance. When you have a scarcity mindset, no amount of money seems like enough! You may feel depressed or discouraged when spending, or completely avoid spending altogether.
On the other hand, people with an abundance mindset see potential wealth and opportunity wherever they go. They might not have the number that they dream about in the bank already, but they celebrate small successes and see the beauty in their financial journey.
6 Money Mindset Shifts You Can Make Right Now
Many people have tackled money mindset shifts by using these simple steps—so know that it’s totally possible and absolutely worth the effort. Make the shift from scarcity to abundance and experience so much more joy with your finances, starting with these six strategies.
Use Mantras To Help Foster Mindset Shifts
When you’re feeling stressed about your finances, you reinforce your mindset with negative thoughts. Your normal post-financial-stress routine might be to buy a bar of chocolate, then cry as you eat it—thinking about the trip you turned down next month or the expensive car that you don’t drive. Or worse, you deprive yourself of the chocolate and cry on an empty stomach!
Listen, budgeting doesn’t have to be painful.
Afford yourself some small treats throughout your daily life by repeating a meaningful phrase, such as, “I deserve this.” Say it as many times as it takes for you to believe it—that’s the key to making mantras successful.
Your money mantras should reflect the knowledge that money comes and goes. You have few choices about paying your bills, and of course, you shouldn’t buy more than you can afford. But rewarding yourself and not being scared to spend your hard-earned money is made easier with mindset shifts and mantras.
Make Everyday Life Feel Luxurious
Your best friends are vacationing in Cabo San Lucas. So what? Focusing on the things that you can’t afford is a sure ingredient for disappointment. When your mindset shifts towards scarcity, shift it back to an abundance mindset by planning within your budget.
Fun can accompany every kind of price tag. Just because you missed out on a glamorous travel opportunity this time doesn’t mean you have to sit at home and sulk.
Transform your compromises into something truly special. Splurge within your means—a new board game and some fuzzy slippers might be all the escape you need tonight.
Appreciate Your Wealth And Practice Gratitude
Appreciation for all that you have does wonders for mindset shifts from scarcity to abundance. When you think back on all the times you were feeling poorly about money—whether you were nervous, frustrated, scared, or just irritated—odds are you were so focused on the problem that you forgot to look around.
Next time, do look around. Take the time often to reflect on how far you have come! Hey, you enjoyed that bar of chocolate, didn’t you? Even things as basic as running water, a place to live, or someplace safe to sleep at night are worthy of celebrating.
Related: Why A Money Mindset Matters (and How To Create One)
Budget Money For Things You Love
This step is overlooked way too often: if you can’t afford the thing that you want right now, you can always plan for it in the future. Planning can be discouraging for someone with an insecure money mindset…but not for those of us who shift our mindsets from scarcity to abundance.
Your self-care budgeting can be as simple as a cup of coffee or a manicure every once in a while. Or, it could be something more substantial, like a long weekend in another state.
Dedicate a collection container of some kind and put your spare change to good use! A dollar or a few cents here and there will add up sooner than you think.
Be Generous
Nothing helps with making money mindset shifts quite like giving to those who need it. When some other person or organization celebrates the small amount that you have to share, it suddenly doesn’t feel so small anymore.
Donating to an organization that is near and dear to your heart gives you a charge of satisfaction and self-worth unlike anything else. The same pocket of dimes that you were frowning at in the morning can help to stock a food pantry, fund scientific research, or buy books for a school.
Spend time volunteering to ground yourself in gratitude—after all, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes can really help you understand just how much you do have.
Educate Yourself About Money As Much As Possible
Many people develop a scarcity mindset about money from simply not understanding where it is coming from or where it is going.
If this is you, you shouldn’t feel alone. Money isn’t everyone’s niche, and acknowledging this can help you become more secure with it in the long run.
You can expand your financial knowledge by discussing your concerns with dollar-savvy friends, bankers, or tax professionals. The Internet is also flooded with resources to help you brush up on your financial vocabulary or how-to skills.
The more you educate yourself on money, the easier the mindset shifts will be.
Mindset shifts from scarcity to abundance have the power to change your life. Money is not the only thing that defines a person’s success or worth. Once you begin the journey to change your thinking, you will never look back.
