Financial abundance is our birthright and we can claim it.
It is never too late to change the way you think about or manage money, particularly if the way you think about it no longer serves you.
For many people, it is not so much how much money is earned, but instead what is done with it, how it is used, spent or saved in some way. It may be that you're a professional and earn way above the national average and yet you still have more month than money. Or it may be that you've worked in a manual/unskilled/semi-skilled position earning around the national average and it may even be that you have another job to supplement your main income - you may own properties in the country you live, and own rental properties in other countries and have a sizeable amount of savings.
It is a question of psychology. How do you think about money? Is your money working for you? Or are you working for your money? That is, is your money earning you money even whilst you sleep or are you earning your money and allowing it to frit away? Our thought processes around money is often determined by the emotional baggage we associate with it, usually from our childhood.
Certainly in my family we grew up never really having much. It seemed as though we just had enough to pay the rent, eat three reasonable meals a day, and pay the bills and not too much more to do much else. Buying clothes, certainly up to date clothes were pretty much off the agenda, much of the time.
I was told about the importance of saving. My mum was particularly insistent about this and I did save for a while, money that family and friends would give me.
My relationship with money has been quite fickle. I have earned a reasonable amount of money and it feels as though I have squandered a lot too. Do not get me wrong - I enjoyed what I was doing when I was doing it - going on holidays, buying clothes, buying property etc. What I did not do though was pace myself. I was speaking to a friend recently and communicated to him that over the last five/six years I have been close to bankruptcy at least four times. I was always living on overdrafts, always maxing on my credit cards, managing my bank account inappropriately and so having items returned unpaid and incurring bank charges.
The pain associated with those times was so great that I made a decision to think differently around money. Yes, it is been an ongoing process of fits and starts and I am seriously focussed and on my journey now. Each time I make money I pay something to myself as well as paying off debts and bills.
I love paying my debts as much as I love paying myself. As far as possible, it's important to be clear of debts. I have a different relationship with money. I have much more respect for money now. I know how it can serve me and beyond me - my community and charities generally. How I use the money I make is now very important to me, otherwise I may just as well stand on the street corner and devalue the money by ripping it to shreds - because in effect this is precisely what I have been doing - ripping it to shreds and throwing it away.
The best person to take control of your money is you. Of course you will take good professional advice, giving up complete control though, to the 'professionals' is not overly wise. You will want to get regular feedback on how your savings/investments are doing (if you have any). Get curious, stay interested, make decisions - take back the control.
I remember as a child I use to dread going back to school after the Christmas holiday - absolutely dread it. Why? Because I knew that I would have to lie about the presents I got. Certainly at the time I thought it was a `had to' lie. Friends around me were getting what seemed to me to be multiple presents of money, clothes and toys etc. etc. I cannot quite remember the gifts that I did get, but I do remember that they were small and yes what my parents could afford and certainly I was grateful for them because I knew that it took a lot to make sure that we did all get something. And yet I felt the `pressure' of having to fabricate all the things that I did not get. Reflecting on it now, I wonder if others did the same.
The great thing now looking back on those times is that I did get presents and I'm sure that many other children did not, though, as a young person, this was not what was going through my mind at the time. My thing was what lies could I make up about the presents I got? The lie, to some extent, related to who I was talking to at the time. It seems really elaborate now thinking about it, though didn't at the time, I did have to keep track of what I said to whom.
I grew up knowing that my parents always did their best and particularly my mother, she is a very selfless person. She never provided for herself without first providing for us.
Other memories about what I considered to be lack centred on school holidays, particularly going back to school after the summer holidays. Friends would be talking about what they did in the summer holidays - going away to stay with relatives and friends, going off to the seaside. We never did any of this in my family. The impact in relation to my adult life and how I have thought about money is that money it is there to be spent and I will get anything I want. Holidays, clothes, household goods, etc, etc, you name it; if I wanted it, I would get it. Instant gratification. Deferred gratification just was not in my vocabulary. I had no idea what that meant, and saving for a rainy day were words without meaning.
Strategically thinking about and planning in relation to money was not even a consideration. It was a case of making up for in adulthood what I couldn't and did not get as a child. These were my learned responses to money. Took me a very long time to fully appreciate that my thinking around money and use of it was actually counter-productive to my well-being. Maxing on credit cards, getting bank loans, defaulting on bills did absolutely no good to my credit rating.
I remember when I was first told that I was not credit worthy. It felt like a real attack on my identity. I went to a place of defensiveness. Not worthy?! What do they mean? They do not know me. Not credit worthy - I felt really indignant and yet looking back on it, I realise that it was a real wake up call for me. Still did not stop the indignation though. How dare they make judgements and assumptions about me?
Not worthy or even capable of managing my own finances, the evidence was there for all to see. I was completely blinkered to the glaringly obvious evidence. I went into complete denial and continued to spend more than I earned happily - oblivious to the mess that I was creating for myself. Being turned down for credit cards, bank loans. The impact often times going beyond my knowing.
We all carry baggage. Some positive, some negative. I wonder what yours is.
What are your dreams and desires?
What do you wish to achieve around money?
What are your yearly goals - or at least your goals for this year?
What plans will you set in place to achieve your financial goals?
These will be different for everyone. What's important is that you feel at one with your achievement of your goals. They are your goals. You wish to achieve them. It would be worthwhile to set out for yourself why you wish to achieve your financial goals. How will they benefit you and others? If you can arrive at a reason why your financial goals are important to you, it is much more likely that you will achieve them.
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