“Prosperity comes to those who seek it and sacrifice their contradictory desires.”
A quote from “The Wealthy Gardener”, by John Soforic
Money experts and professionals will tell you that the first step to improve your finances is to gather all your paperwork and create a working budget. While understanding your cash-flow and your net worth are vital, it is my opinion that the first step must begin internally. You must create a “money mind”
Thoughts are the most powerful weapon we possess, working for us, or against us. You’re are the creator of your thoughts. In our minds, we have formed our ideas about wealth, money, and prosperity. Your thoughts and ideas will either propel you towards wealth like a magnet or repel it from you. It’s the power of your thoughts that has shaped your world and will inevitably shape your future. In order to take control of your finances, you must conquer the enemy in your mind, your thoughts. Albert Einstein said, “Imagination is everything, it is the preview of life’s coming attractions.”
Henry Ford said, “Thinking is the hardest work, there is, which is probably why so few engage in it.” Taking power over our thoughts seems a little bit hocus pocus I thought to myself when I heard it for the first time. It was during my own financial mess, that I began to study the law of attraction and the power of our thoughts. As I continued to read the stories of wealthy figures in history and society, there was a constant theme in all of them. Every wealthy subject possessed the same laser focus towards their ambitions. They harnessed the power of their thoughts to manifest their most sacred desires and goals. “Could it be this easy?”, I thought to myself. In part, the answer is yes. If our thoughts have the power to shape the world around us, then I could use the power of my thoughts to shape my world.
Creating a money mind begins with becoming aware of our daily thoughts. When you think about your finances, what thoughts does it create? Does it create stress and anxiety? Does it cause despair and a feeling of being overwhelmed? These thoughts multiply in our minds and create a pattern of negative thinking that shapes our world. John Assaraf said, “Here’s the problem. Most people are thinking about what they don’t want, and they’re wondering why it shows up over and over again.” In order to alter this devastating pattern, you must begin to listen to your inner voice. “When you connect to the silence within you, that is when you can make sense of the disturbance going on around you”, said Stephen Richards.
Making time to think helps us recognize the patterns of our thoughts and empowers us to make choices about the types of thoughts that we will allow in our minds. “But what should I think about?”, you might be asking. Once you are aware of your thoughts, immediately begin to shift them towards your goals. Focus and think about them, imagine and feel, the moments of their achievement. For me, I set a goal of achieving financial freedom. This meant that I was not a slave to debt, and that I had options when opportunities presented themselves. I imagined my bank statement with a positive balance. I envisioned every credit card and loan statement with a zero balance. I thought about my life and focused on feeling the freedom from financial insecurity. I used positive affirmations to reinforce the feelings of wealth that I envisioned. “I am grateful to have financial freedom because it allows me to live my fullest and most abundant life.” “I am grateful to be out of debt because it allows me to put money towards other priorities that are important to me.” “I am grateful to have more time with my family because I have financial freedom.” These positive affirmations became my own personal mantra. I would say them when I was driving. I would repeat them in the shower. I would even say them out loud when I was during yard work. Whatever works for you, embrace it, believe it, and practice it.
So, if this is so simple, why isn’t everyone rich? It’s a valid question. The answer lies in the daily practice of controlling our thoughts and feeling the emotions of achieving our goals. Some people find the simplicity in this concept to be too farfetched. They don’t see the value in leveraging faith as a foundation to achieve their goals. This mindset has been mis-proven repeatedly. For example, every young athlete imagines themselves playing professional sports someday. They think about it constantly, in fact they obsess about achieving their goal. This belief in their goal, fuels their desire to train harder, practice more, and persevere in the face of adversity. However, many athletes quit believing that their dreams are possible once they encounter a setback, and now their thoughts focus on regret and frustration. Those who continue to believe, even when their circumstances do not give them a reason to, rise to the top and eventually live out their dreams as a professional athlete. Thomas Edison believed that he could create a sustainable and artificial light source using electricity. He made over ten thousand unsuccessful attempts and was ridiculed by his friends and society. Despite this, he never quit. He used the power of his mind to focus, block out negativity, and achieve his goal.
History is full of examples of ordinary people that achieved extraordinary things. Anyone who has ever achieved anything great, started with a single thought. The power of thought is absolute. “Whatever a man thinketh, so is he.”, Proverbs 23:7.
To develop the muscle of your money mind, practice quiet time to focus on your goals, and imagine the feelings of achieving them. Do this every day until it becomes a habit. Be aware of your thoughts and push away negativity with thoughts of gratefulness. Use positive affirmations to reinforce the feelings of achievement. And, finally as you do this, begin to recognize the quiet voice inside of you. As you develop your money mind, this voice will become and important teacher and guide when you make decisions about money.
The money mind, once developed, will become your greatest asset in changing your life. If you would like to learn more about the law of attraction and the power of your thoughts, there are a tremendous amount of resources out there. I can only recommend the ones that I have personally used and found invaluable for me. The Wealthy Gardener by John Soforic, and The Secret by Rhonda Byrne.
Truth and Cents 