How Changing Your Views On Money Can Attract More Wealth

So, how do you really feel about money?

Some of you might say, well that’s easy – money is the root of all evil. Others however, might respond that money makes the world go round. But seriously, what difference does it make anyway? At the end of the day, we all need money, so it doesn’t really matter how we feel about it. Right?

Wrong! :)

Turns out, the way we feel about money, or rather, our emotional attitude towards money, really does make a difference to our so-called wealth profile. The way we feel about planning our finances, ultimately impacts the plan itself and its execution.

Most of the time, our attitudes to money develop in childhood. They are developed to a large extent by our parents’ perceptions towards money. For example, if the kinds of conversations we heard revolving around money were negative, such as “we can’t afford this” or “we don’t have enough money to pay for that”, our perceptions towards money are likely to be similar.

However, if our parents were very generous with money and always spoke about money in terms of abundance, such as “We should help those less fortunate than ourselves, and give whatever we can to do so”, or, “we may not have enough to buy that right now, BUT let’s think of a way in which we can earn some extra cash or save a little bit every month, in order to get what we want” – we are likely to have absorbed a similar perspective from them.

Oftentimes, the question as to much money our parents actually did have, is less relevant. What’s more important is the way that money was talked about at home in our presence. Research has shown that childhood perceptions of money end up influencing emotional attitudes towards money, long past childhood.

So, fast forward to the present day. How do our adult selves, really feel about money? Read on to see if you recognize one or more of these viewpoints, as your own:

1. Money is bad and evil. I hate money. Rich people are greedy crooks. They have cheated people like me, and that’s why they are rich.
2. Money is tight. There’s never enough. I worry about money constantly. I can’t afford anything. Life is so unfair. All my friends have more money than me.
3. Money is the only thing that matters. I love money. I really, really, really want to be rich. I dream about wealth every night. Nothing else can make me happy.
4. Money is very very important. I must have a lot of it. I must save it and keep it safe. But I will pretend to be poorer than I am and when people talk to me about money, I will say “I don’t have any”. That way, no one will try to steal it or borrow it.

Reading the above, we probably recognize one or more of these viewpoints, or a combination of them.

The main thing is to recognize your true views on money, and if it is a negative one that does not allow you to have a healthy balanced view of money, consciously take steps to change and improve upon the viewpoint.

A quick and easy way to start, is to change the way we speak about money.
Instead of using negative terms, try to use positive terms. For example, change sentences that begin with “I can’t afford….” to “ I’ll work on finding a way to afford… “ or substitute “I have no money to buy that” with “ I choose not to allocate financial resources towards that right now, as I have other priorities”. Speak and think in terms of empowerment over your finances.

Release all feelings of bitterness, jealousy, envy or anger towards people who have more money than you. Resist the urge to covet what they have. The negative energy released by such thoughts, could serve to block you from positive financial opportunities as your mind will be preoccupied with angry and bitter thoughts.

Instead, embrace and accept the fact that however much money you have, there will always be someone with more. Remind yourself that the converse also applies. However little money you have, there is always someone with less.

So why not wish those who have more than you well, be grateful and thankful for what you have, and channel your energy towards trying to help someone less fortunate (regardless of how little you may have).

Ultimately, we should not love or hate money on an emotional level, for its own sake. Instead, let us recognize its importance as nothing more (or less) than the currency of daily life. Money is a resource, and like any other resource, it must be managed wisely so that it can be efficiently used towards achieving the maximum positive effect for you as an individual, for you family and your community.

A generous, positive view of money is bound to attract more positivity and wealth into your life. So, the next time you’re about to say something negative about money, take a moment, pause, and think how you could re-phrase that statement to turn it into something positive. You’ll not only feel better about yourself and your life, you may also find yourself attracting more income-generating opportunities and wealth!