Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress; working hard for something we love is called passion.
Simon Sinek
I had struggled with money for YEARS. It wasn’t until I was about 40 that I had finally had enough. The situation was that my hubby and I had separated and I had nothing- no job, no car, no money in the bank. I ended up going to stay with a family member to help me get my shit together.
I got a job fairly quickly and started saving. It was crazy how easy it was for me. For some reason when we were together we could never save. We were always living paycheck to paycheck and it seemed like we were struggling financially all of the time. So now that I was on my own, how was it so easy for me?
I realized I had finally become responsible for myself. See, all of those years together we both were only responsible enough to get by- we could blame each other for anything else that we each fell short of. This is what kept us struggling.
Finances are basically easy- it’s just math. It’s our thinking and habits that make it hard. That’s why I created Discover Your Wealth, Rebuilding the Foundation to Change Your Money Life- I want to share with you a new way to think about money and help you create new habits with your money. Once you overhaul yourself financially and get use to this new way, you can then begin adding to it (investing and truly building your money dreams).
Before we begin, ask yourself if you really want to make changes in your life. You must have the desire for things to be different AND be willing to do things differently.
If you have to build these habits one at a time do it. Start. Now. Baby steps are better than no steps. And, if you’re married, or are in a committed relationship where you’re sharing finances it would be most beneficial for you to go through this together.
Let’s get started!
These questions and exercises are meant for you to actually write down the answers to. Do just think about it- be about it!
1 Why is it important to you to get your finances in order? When you know your why it will help keep you focused and motivated, and it will help get you back on track when you get off. Write
2 The truth will set you free- get honest with yourself about your finances
Write out how much you make every month, how much are your bills, how much you spend on other stuff like going out to eat, gas, groceries, and fun stuff. Be honest, you’re not sharing this with anyone, unless you’re living with a partner, you have to be honest with each other.
Look at where you can start cutting back. Honestly. It doesn’t have to be completely, even if it’s as simple as we are going to only go out to eat 4 days a week instead of 5. This is about building the habits.
Make sure you are looking at your money every week. Pay attention to what you’re spending & every week try to cut back a little more on the excesses.
Make your money and finances a priority.
3 Start listening to money podcasts!!! NOW!!! Dave Ramsey is a good place to start. You don’t have to follow his debt snowball unless you want to. The point is to always have a positive influence in your ear.
Listen to Rich Dad Poor Dad audiobook is free on YouTube. Look up and listen to Jen Sincero, The Clark Howard Podcast, We Study Billionaires Podcast, Money Girl Podcast, Chris Hogan Show Podcast, Secrets of Wealthy Women Podcast, Afford Anything Podcast, Bigger Pockets everything.
Make your money and finances a priority.
4 Begin thinking about your money differently. Stop saying you’re broke. You’re not broke, you just don’t want to spend your money on that right now. Don’t say you can’t afford something. Again, you are choosing not to purchase right now. And if you actually don’t have any money at the moment (you’ve really spent your last dollar), remind yourself that you have everything you need in this moment and if something comes up, know that you’ll figure it out.
Make your money and finances a priority.
Start LOVING your money and everything you are choosing to do with it. Again, what you do with your money is your choice. Every time. Remember that. It doesn’t mean your choices don’t have consequences, because every single choice we make does. It’s just that some of the consequences we like, some we don’t. Start loving your money by taking care of it. Put it nicely in your wallet. Keep it all facing the same way. Every time you see it, put a smile on your face in gratitude that you have money.
5 Start saving!!!! I know you feel like you can’t save, but remember #4, you have to start thinking differently. Unless you’re comfortable saving more, $10 per pay check is a good beginner’s amount. Of course this isn’t going to get you out of the poor house right away. The point here is to start, to build the habit of saving.
Once you have built up a substantial amount something is going to come up. DO NOT USE YOUR SAVINGS JUST YET. If you have less than one month’s of pay in your savings, don’t use it. Instead act like it’s not even there. Use your resources. If you have to sell something do that. If you have to borrow a small amount, do that. DO NOT USE YOUR SAVINGS.
I know this seems totally wrong, but the truth is you are learning to build your will power & financial muscles.
6 Get your resources together now. Something is going to happen, some sort of emergency in which you will need money. Figure out now how you will get it before the emergency. Make a list of things you can sell. Make a list of friends and family who would be willing to help you out or loan you money and pay back the money.
7a Affirmations- start saying affirmations EVERY DAY. Write them down EVERY DAY. Affirmations are a good way to begin re-programming your mind. Put the affirmations on post-its and place all around your house & work space. Make sure you see them all of the time & say them when you notice them.
I live in an abundant Universe and money is all around me.
I love money and money loves me.
My income is growing higher and higher.
I am happy and grateful that money comes to me in increasing quantities from many sources on a continuous basis.
I am sensible with money and manage it wisely.
I allow my income to constantly expand and grow.
I always have what I need.
Money flows to me easily.
I am a money magnet.
I am rich.
The money I spend always comes back to me.
I am willing, ready and able to receive money
7b Visual Cues- Create a visual cue… for the affirmation “I live in an abundant Universe and money is all around me”, look for a visual cue to remind you of this.
I have several cues- one being cans. When I see a can on the street it is a reminder that I live in an abundant Universe and that money is all around me. I usually pick up the cans I see and take them home. Once we have a substantial amount saved, we take them to the recycle place and use the money to donate to the homeless. You can use anything you want, but just think about that affirmation everything you see your thing and feel it in your heart. Use is like a note from the Universe popping in to say “I got you”.
8 Notice how your financial house is changing. It’s easy to get caught up in what we are missing, but start noticing what you have. When you save your first $10 and a week later you are adding another $10 to it, notice it, give yourself a compliment. Every time you don’t give in to buying something you don’t really need, compliment yourself. And when there are times you don’t save the $10 or you do give in to your purchasing, give yourself a break. Don’t feel guilty or shame, and simply start again the next moment. Every moment is a chance to begin again.
Just keep moving forward. Some days you’ll take giant leaps other days (if not most days) take baby steps. Eventually your baby steps will turn into toddler steps, then kid steps, and running.
These steps are just to start you off on your new financial journey. If you want to dig in deep, sign up for my email list or follow this blog. Over the next several weeks I’m going to share Discover Your Wealth with you. I want you to live the abundant life you deserve to live.
I wish you an abundantly peaceful, loving day. Always
-Alisha AE