We all want a little financial peace. Okay, maybe a lot of it, okay?
There’s no need in acting like we don’t. You want peace of mind when it comes to your bills. No more worrying in the middle of the night whether or not your groceries will last until your next paycheck.
Yet, with a desire so strong, why are there so many people out there who are dealing with financial stress? Why is financial peace elusive to so many of us?
Well, you might not have heard the reason before but I’m pretty darn certain it’s because of our mindset. I don’t care how you spin it, your mindset can hold you back in so many ways. That’s why I’m dedicating more time to my money mindset than I even dedicate to budgeting. It’s just that serious to me.
I’ve tried many budgets, but none of them worked for me until I dealt with my beliefs about money. I’m talking about those deep, icky, long forgotten about beliefs that were planted in your mind when you were only 2 or 3 feet tall.
I was perusing Instagram the other day and saw a meme about things you should give up if you wanted to get rich. I decided to switch it up a bit and discuss some things you might want to give up if you want financial peace.
Let’s get into it…
10 Things To Give Up If You Want Financial Peace
1. Complaining
Complaining doesn’t change anything. Unless of course, you’re complaining to a manager at a restaurant that you found a piece of hair in your food or your server left you with an undesirable experience.
Basically, complaining has its place in life and serves its purposes. Sometimes. However, when it comes to your finances…nah. It’s not going to change anything.
Complaining about how rich folks don’t care about poor people problems isn’t going to give you financial peace. Focusing on how the rich always seem to be getting richer and nothing is popping off for you is not going to give you peace either.
The only thing complaining about your finances is going to do is frustrate you. And maybe even make you miserable. I’ve seen it. I personally know people like this and honestly, it’s a chore being around them. So, I know it has to be a chore to complain and not get anywhere doing so.
Replace the complaining with gratitude and you’ll feel a million times better. That’s financial peace right there.
You may not have all of your money problems solved, but if you’re grateful for the things you do have — like how you live in a country that actually provides you with so many freedoms. Yeah, that’s something to be grateful for because you can’t side hustle, stack coins, and get rich in some countries. Imagine that.
Also, check out:
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2. Comparison
It’s so easy to compare your progress to someone else. That friend you graduated college with just got promoted to vice president at their company. Meanwhile, you’re still in the same position you were in after graduating ten years ago.
Trust me, I know it feels some kind of way because I’ve been there. Instead of focusing on Bonita’s promotion what we should be doing is making sure we are improving our skills so we could get a big promotion.
Do not compare your finances or your life to someone else because these people have probably done A LOT of things you might not even be willing to do in order to get there.
When you get ready to compare yourself to someone, think of yourself as a pineapple and the other person as an apple. There’s no comparison. You’re two different fruits and both are quite delicious! So focus on what you have to offer and don’t worry about anyone else.
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3. Negative self-talk
Be conscious of the things you say to and about yourself. You might jokingly say you’re an idiot who’s incapable of saving money, but your subconscious is taking you at your word. Repeating thoughts like that, there’s no wonder why you’re unable to save money!
Use the right language when you’re talking to yourself. Motivate yourself like no one else can. You’ve got goals and dreams, we all do. Never forget about them.
If you use affirmations, make sure you feel them. When you feel good about the affirmations you’re telling yourself, you are in alignment. Being in alignment with whatever you’re telling yourself is the quickest way to manifest your desires.
Related Reading:
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4. Jealousy
Jealousy will not get you what you want. Period.
If you find yourself jealous because of something someone else has or the way they are living their life, this is a great time to evaluate what you want in life. Then figure out how to get it for yourself.
Being envious of someone else’s life will not make you feel better. In fact, the negative energy can push you further away from the thing you’re actually jealous about.
I know it’s completely normal to be envious of something occasionally. But as I said, you’re only jealous of something you want deep down inside. Consider it as if you’re taking a peek in the mirror. Whatever it is you’re jealous about is simply a reflection of your innermost desires.
5. Inconsistency
Have you ever created a goal, stuck with it for about two weeks and fell completely off the wagon? I’m talking about six months later off the wagon. Before you even realize that you totally neglected whatever you set out to do, life has taken you on a different journey.
But yet, you still have this feeling that you haven’t done what you needed to do. You are inconsistent with your efforts on achieving your goals. I’ve struggled with this myself and I’ve found out that sometimes you have to put in more than a little effort. You need to find some accountability.
6. Inaction
Inaction and inconsistency go together like peanut butter and jelly. Not taking action on something or doing something inconsistently is basically the same thing.
You might set a goal to get your finances together but if you don’t create a budget — ummm….yeah, that’s going to be pretty difficult to do.
Another goal could be to go on a family vacation without using credit. Well, you need to set up an automatic savings plan. If not, you greatly increase the chances of being inconsistent and failing to follow through on your goals.
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7. Unwillingness to invest in yourself
Now this one is probably my favorite one because it’s often the most overlooked. I recently did a quick money mindset survey on some individuals for a project I’m working on.
The most intriguing question was, “If you had an extra $100 what would you do with it?” The answer choices provided were as follows: save, pay off debt, go out for the weekend, or invest in self-improvement.
Only one person indicated they would invest in self-improvement. The majority indicated they would pay down debt or go out for the weekend.
I think it’s important to invest in yourself because the payoff can be tremendous! Think about it, you spend money on things every month that isn’t of any value.
The cable company takes their money and you’ll never see it again. The only thing you get out of it is a few hours a day of television. Basically, the money spent is not paying any dividends.
However, let’s say you love to write and you are a freelance writer. Investing money in starting a blog could pay huge dividends in the long-run. You could land additional writing gigs and diversify your income through blog monetization.
Another good investment would be on a course that teaches you some type of skill. Maybe you’re not a freelance writer yet, but you love writing. Investing in a good freelance writing course that teaches you how to land clients and deliver quality work could pay off!
8. Doubt
Doubt is a tricky little sucker. You will be in the middle of creating an awesome plan to pay off your debt or save $10,000 and then that little voice will say, “Nah, homegirl. You can’t do that.”
Don’t you just hate that? Like who does she think she is to tell you what you can and can’t do? Let me give you a little tip. Tell her to shut up and just do it anyway.
9. Bad money beliefs
I can seriously write an entire book on money beliefs. Mindset issues are your biggest personal finance issue, not your debt or your lack of savings.
Why?
Well, because your beliefs about money are what got you into debt and living without savings in the first place.
I want you to do a little exercise if you don’t believe me. Grab a pen and paper and write down everything you believe about money. Once you’re finished take a look at what you wrote down and read it out loud.
When you read your beliefs, take note of how those beliefs make you feel. If you feel disappointment, fear, resentment, or any other yucky feeling I’m overlooking — you probably have some negative beliefs about money.
10. Any place, person, or thing that doesn’t value you.
Look, if there is anyone in your life who is telling you that you’re not worth the trouble, effort, money, love, etc…they don’t need to be in your life.
This includes people who don’t value your opinions, respect your ideas, and spur you on to be the best version of yourself.
Of course, you can’t get rid of everybody (in some cases), but you can limit your exposure to their negativity. You’ll be amazed at the financial peace that comes from not dealing with other people’s money issues too.
Go get your financial peace
Financial peace is attainable. You just have to be prepared to do whatever needs to be done to achieve it.
Many think they are ready, and they very well may be. However, you have to deal with the financial work and the inner work involved.
Don’t dismiss financial peace as something only reserved for a select few. With a good strategy and the willingness to give up the things you’re used to doing — you can definitely reach a place where you rest easy when it comes to your finances.