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Do money blocks have you trapped and not realizing your potential? Well, I personally decided long ago that I would never be broke another day in my life!
Does that mantra also resonate with you?
Andrew wrestled with money challenges all of his life. First, as a child growing up in poverty then as a single parent of three kids. However, after building an online business while growing a family, he figured his money woes had finally been defeated.
But five years later, he was still dealing with recurring money problems. It wasn’t until a business associate pointed out that he had “money blocks”. That’s why it’s critical to learn about these blocks and how they could be impacting your life.
Commons Signs of Money Blocks
But what is a money block anyway?
A money block is a series of thoughts, a mindset or a feeling, that gets in the way of you accomplishing financial success. Simply put, money blocks are issues managing to get and keep money.
Do you regularly suffer from anxiety owing to the fact that you always have more month than money?
Maybe you avoid looking at your bank statements, overspend with credit cards, and develop other destructive money behaviors all in an effort to keep reality in line with your beliefs.
If I’m speaking your language please listen up! Here are three common signs of money blocks…
Constant Emotions of Envy and Resentment
You visit the Super Walmart and see another customer buying the powerful MacBook Pro you wanted. Suddenly, you feel a twinge of disappointment or jealousy.
The following week, your next-door neighbor pulls up in their brand new Honda Accord. Sure, hybrid or not, the Honda Accord is an inexpensive, reliable car that has everything your small family needs to stay safe and happy on the road.
(Source: Honda)
But your family is struggling just to keep food on the table. You feel angry and bitter whenever you think about it.
These feelings are understandable. Nevertheless, it’s just so frustrating to struggle with money when it seems like everyone else around you has it so good. Good friend, simply acknowledge these feelings when you encounter them but don’t let them paralyze you.
Negative emotions hurt you in the long-run. Such feelings make it harder for you to improve your own money situation because you’re so busy keeping score.
The Art of Stashing
This is all about hoarding what you do have. Bangambiki Habyarimana put it this way: “Hoarding can never end, for the heart of man always covets for more, its raging appetites can only be quenched by the heavy sands of the grave.”
According to Sarah Krasnostein, “Hoarding does not discriminate on the basis of income or intellect.” Lisa J. Shultz shared that “Clutter may rob us of the life we imagined or prevent us from creating a new vision for our future.”
When most people hear the word ‘hoarding’, they think of houses filled to the brim with useless items. But some types of hoarding are less obvious than that.
It might be that you’re holding onto a trunk full of old clothes because you’re afraid you might need them at some point. It could be that you keep things; even broken things (like your iPad with the cracked screen) because you think you’ll find a use for it eventually.
This type of hoarding doesn’t interfere with your daily life, but it does affect your relationship with money. You’re subconsciously sending yourself the message that you don’t have enough, and you never will.
Instead of living in beautiful abundance and trusting that you’ll have enough to meet your needs as they come, you’re closely guarding your things.
Rejecting Continuing Education
Often, solopreneurs and small business owners reach a plateau. A plateau is a point where you can go no further in your business or in your life unless you invest in yourself first.
It might be that you’re a talented website designer but you’re invisible in your niche market. You want to scale your operation and capture large business projects.
You could continue to struggle for a few years, or you could invest in yourself. Hire a coach to help you grow your online business. Book a session with a business strategist to ask for advice.
Money Block Triggers Holding You Back
So, now that you can identify a few signs of money blocks, it’s time to examine the most common triggers. After all, understanding the money manifestation blocks in your life is essential to overcoming them.
Agree?
Break Those Generational Chains
One of my favorite business books is Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki. It featured an underlying tenet, be it for better or worse, that families impact our relationships with money. Some consider it to be generational.
Perhaps while growing up you heard your parents quote, ‘money doesn’t grow on trees!” So, if you grew up in a home where money was scarce, your attitude toward money may reflect that. Do you constantly worry about money and stress over everyday spendings, like buying groceries?
You regularly look for the cheapest option (even if it isn’t the best value). You focus on how everyone is trying to take money from you (the government, the big corporations, the health care system, etc.).
There’s nothing wrong with being frugal and wisely establishing your family budget spreadsheet. But there is a problem when you adopt a poverty mentality.
You can struggle with a poverty mentality even if you’re in a great job and make plenty of money. This is because your attitude toward money is steeped in the belief that there’s only so much to go around. As a result, you hold onto your money with tight fists.
Change Your Money Mindset
Sometimes, people experience financial hardships because someone else made poor decisions. Or perhaps circumstances exist beyond their control. For example, if your spouse walked out on you and your kids, you may struggle to pay the bills on a single-parent income.
Maybe a crafty business partner embezzled money from your company. Possibly, your startup is failing – owing to operational mismanagement.
No matter what your struggle is, you didn’t cause it. It’s understandable to be angry in situations like these. You were wronged and you deserve justice. But if you become bitter over the injustice, it clouds your thinking.
You begin to tell yourself that you’re a financial victim and that things will always be like this. But your situation can’t improve until you’re open to improvement. As long as you think of yourself as the victim, you’ll have a hard time developing a healthy money mindset.
But what is Money Mindset?
According to Dave Ramsey, “Your money mindset is your unique set of beliefs and your attitude about money. It drives the decisions you make about saving, spending, and handling money. People who have a healthy money mindset believe things like: I have the freedom to spend, but I can also tell myself no to a purchase.”
This mindset stuff isn’t a very unlikely or unrealistic goal – it’s biblical. Galatians 6:7 (NIV) says, “A man reaps what he sows.” Additionally, Earl Nightingale says in The Strangest Secret, “We become what we think about.” That’s exactly why changing your mindset about money actually has the power to change the trajectory of your life.
Watch the Company You Keep
We have all heard the saying that birds of a feather flock together, meaning that the company you keep reflects your personality. A savvy entrepreneur surrounds himself with other smart people. If you hang out with chickens you will be perceived as a chicken.
For example, you and your friends get together, and eventually, the topic of money comes up. Next, you and your friends start complaining about the cost of your favorite services, outsourcing, and taxes. Then the conversation turns to all of the things you can’t do – afford that fancy vacation, send your kids to that private school, buy a big house, etc.
Before you know it, the conversation is over, and you’re left feeling horrible.
Why?
Because you spent the past hour focused on everything you don’t have and can’t afford. That’s because a poor money mindset is contagious. The people you surround yourself with can help you achieve all of your financial goals or…they can hinder you.
Many entrepreneurs share Jim Rohn’s philosophy, which is that “you’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Particularly, your net worth is going to be the average of the 5-10 people you hang out with the most.
Therefore, if you need to upgrade the company you keep in an effort to retool your money mindset, then please do the necessary.
Boost Your Self-Confidence
Sometimes, a poor money mindset can be traced back to a lack of self-confidence. Maybe you had a primary school teacher or business coach that told you that your dreams were ridiculous.
Perhaps you currently don’t understand financial statements. Rather than tackling these issues, you try to avoid money altogether, so you worry that you’re spending it wrong. You don’t think you have the intelligence to set up a family budget or save for retirement.
If you suspect your lack of self-confidence is affecting your money management, then you need to reach out to someone else. Don’t be afraid to snatch the ultimate business planner, purchase a book on budgeting or grab the resourceful family budget binder worksheets to help manage your family’s finances.
It’s time to take control of your money and develop a healthy money mindset. You can start this process by discovering what’s holding you back and actively working to let go of your toxic money beliefs.
Embracing Radical Affirmations
Some people have heard the expression that “money is the root of all evil”. As a result, you might feel guilty or unworthy when you have money. But instead of thinking of money as something evil, think of it as a tool.
Just like you can use a shovel to dig up tree roots, you can also use it to plant the seed that becomes a tree. When you repeat this affirmation, imagine yourself planting seeds of abundance in the garden of your life.
Choose to adopt a new attitude around money. Say to yourself, “Money is the tool I use to create a life I love. I’m not poor, I’m just low wealth right now. And that is changing.”
But if you’re truly committed to changing your money mindset, practice repeating or writing out the following affirmations daily:
- I experience wealth as a key part of my life.
- I am capable of overcoming any money-obstacles that stand in my way.
- Today I commit to living my financial dreams.
- My life is filled with health and wealth.
- Abundance is coming, I deserve and accept it.
- I have more than enough money.
- I am always discovering new sources of income.
Next, it’s time to take massive action and make it happen! Maybe this means creating a fund so you can begin outsourcing business tasks you don’t enjoy or sign up for that virtual summit you’ve been ignoring far too long.
When you open yourself to the idea that money is all around you, then you begin to attract what you want. Regardless of where you came from or what you’ve been through, you can overcome money blocks and re-write your money story!
Giving yourself a mood-makeover is something we can all do to help ourselves stay focused on the positives during these uncertain times. Remember, no one is perfect. So, if you feel yourself starting to slip into negative thinking patterns, try making a conscious effort to rearrange your mindset. A positive attitude can go a long way!
What to Do Now
In this article, we determined that your mindset is essentially an attitude that you have about an issue that affects your decisions. If you have money mindset issues, for example, you may have a limiting belief such as “I don’t deserve to be rich.”
Subconsciously, you don’t even realize you’re holding on to it, thus preventing you from making the choices that will generate more money for your business. So, take the steps below:
- Write Down Your Money Mindset Limiting Thoughts – Make a list of the ideas that you have. Then take that list and research the facts. After research, what did you find out?
- Write Down How to Overcome Each Thought – Once you’ve done your research, you’ll know how to overcome that limiting thought.
- Write Down Your Plan – You need to have a business plan, featuring your income projections, target audience, digital product ideas, and of course a budget.
Lastly, mind your budget, keep track, and never forget to journal. Whether you choose to write pages, paragraphs or bullets doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re being mindful about your money mindset and actively working toward overcoming any mental money blocks you have toward earning the money you deserve to make.
Wrapping up, I hope that you’re feeling more self-assured, a little less defeated and a lot more motivated.
Let me know in the comments – which of these money blocks do you feel most often? How have you dealt with them?
Grab the Workbook
Before you go, grab the workbook and start planning for an amazing year. Good news – it’s free! So, get your copy right now!
