Are you so over stressing about money?
Do you dream of living a life of happiness and abundance?
Are you ready to let go of your financial fears once and for all?
If your answer is YES to any or all of the above then this post is for you. Read on!
As a coach and someone who is naturally curious and observant of the behavior of others, I witness so many people dealing with money blocks. I deeply sympathize with the financial struggle because it’s an issue I was intimately caught up in for so many years. For most of my life I dealt with a ton of fear and guilt surrounding my finances. In fact, it wasn’t until recently that I was able to kick my fears around money once and for all. I’m happy to say that today my finances are a source of joy rather than frustration.
Ready to make your money a source of joy, too? Here are my best tips for releasing your blocks to abundance!
1. Get clear about your negative beliefs around money. If you’ve read any spiritual or self help books on the topic of money you’ve probably heard it said that your bank account will reflect your belief system. Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s true. In fact, I’ll take it one step further and say this: your relationship with money is a direct reflection of your self worth. Harsh? Maybe. True? Absolutely.
So what are your beliefs about money? Do you believe there’s enough to go around? Or do you find yourself thinking and saying things like, “there’s never enough,” “there’s always another bill to be paid” or “I never have what I need”? Well, honey, those thoughts are affecting your abundance! In order to better your financial situation, you have got to clean up your thoughts about money. Don’t worry, it’s easier than you think.
The first step is to simply identify what your negative beliefs are. Write them down, and be honest with yourself. A good place to start is by examining the attitude your parents had towards money when you were growing up. It’s highly likely that you adopted the same beliefs. Now (and this is the fun part!) take inventory of your list and start creating your new money beliefs. For example, change “there’s never enough money” to “I am financially supported and I always have what I need.” Begin taking action that reflects your new money beliefs. If you never tip your barista at Starbucks for fear of not having enough money, leave him or her a couple dollars every now and then and watch more money flow into your life. Now you’re living from your new money beliefs. See? Told you it was easy. 🙂
(For more reading on how your money reflects your self worth I recommend checking out Money: A Love Story by Kate Northrup).
2. Clean up your energy. Hear me out. The exchange of money is simply an exchange of energy. Really. Clean up your energy and you will clear up your money situation. It’s that easy. Personally, I worked on my chakras, particularly my root chakra, to help clear my money blocks.
Here is a quick and easy root chakra cleansing exercise I learned from Belinda Davidson’s SoMM: Sit with your eyes closed and focus your attention on the area of your root chakra for a few minutes. Your root chakra encompasses your legs, the base of your spine and your entire pelvic region (essentially anything that’s covered up by your bikini bottoms – or shorts if you’re a guy 😉 ), and it is the area that houses your ability to attract abundance. If you want to get your money straight, start by balancing your root chakra. Do this exercise a few times a week, or better yet daily, to see an improvement in your finances.
3. Take emotional inventory of your spending. For many of us, when it comes to money it’s much easier to turn a blind eye to our spending than it is to actually deal with it. When I first began to get honest around my financial situation, I started really paying attention to where it felt good to spend money and where it didn’t. I would notice that some things, like lunch with a good friend for example, felt great to spend money on while others such as an impulse Target purchase — not so great. By taking inventory and seeing where it felt good to spend I allowed myself to direct more of my spending on the things I actually enjoy and leave out the rest. This tool takes some practice but it’s well worth taking the time to develop it. Now, with a quick check of my emotional compass, I’m able to tell fairly immediately if I’m spending on something that will actually serve me.
4. Let go of the guilt. Many of us carry around so much guilt surrounding money, and it’s a huge block to our abundance. I am definitely not immune to this. Even after I got my finances sorted out, I would still find myself feeling guilty for spending even when I had plenty of money in my bank account. If you do one thing for your finances, do this: let go of the guilt. Even if you overspend and you catch yourself in the moment or several days later — forgive yourself, learn from it and move on. Holding onto the guilt will only make it that much harder to clear up your money situation. You got it?
5. Make a statement to the Universe. About a year and a half ago, I was in the middle of refinancing my home. As part of the deal, my mortgage lender informed me I would have to cancel my credit card (I couldn’t go into the refinance with any debt aside from student loans, whatsoever). My heart dropped to my knees. I wasn’t one to accumulate credit card debt and I always paid off my monthly balance. Still, I relied on my credit card to get me through to my next paycheck and being asked to cancel it I felt like I was being asked to cut one of my limbs off. But that was the deal — cancel the card or no refinance. So I cancelled my credit card, somewhat reluctantly (ok, kicking and screaming 🙂 ), and it turned out to be the single best thing I ever did for my finances.
After a few months of not having a credit card, I realized I had been using it as a crutch. For me, having a credit card simply made it easier for me to spend beyond my means. By hanging onto it, I was also sending a subtle, but serious, message to the Universe (and to myself) that I needed it to get by. Once I did away with my credit card, I was forced to spend only what I actually had. Instead of feeling weak and limited, I actually felt empowered — and my bank account began to grow as a result. I’m not suggesting you should or even need to cancel your credit card if having one is working for you. What I am suggesting is that you get honest with yourself about where you may or may not be truly serving yourself when it comes to your finances. When I cancelled my credit card I sent big memo the the Universe that I was ready to get serious about my money.
Ready to make your own statement to the Universe? Create a money statement that reflects your new attitude such as, “I commit to financial freedom now.” Post it somewhere where you’ll see it every day.
Hope you enjoyed these tips. If you have a favorite or your own tips to share, I’d love to hear. Please leave me a comment below!
xoxo
Kristi
