The Power of Decision

Four Tips for Empowering Yourself Around Money

I recently shared a story from my life about the decision I made when I was 15 years old (you can access that story here). That decision was that I absolutely was NOT going to struggle with money all my life. I was going to have all the money I needed to buy the things that I felt were important for a happy life.
I didn’t know it then, but I see it now. That decision shaped my entire life. It was actually one of the best (if not THE best) decisions I’ve ever made.

You see, making that decision took me from a place of being a victim to a place of power and choice. It is so easy for us to feel like money is out of our control. Our society wants us to believe that. We hear and see that we are victims of money or circumstance. But it just isn’t true. And if we feel that way, then we are definitely not living in our own power. We’ve given up our power to decide how we feel about money and the relationship we have with money.
That isn’t a fun place to be and in fact, it leads us to constant struggle both internal and external.

How can you choose to live in your power with money? Listed below are my top four tips for learning to live in that place of power and choice rather than a place of victimhood and struggle.

Decide to Give up the Struggle. The decision I made when I was 15 years old is one that has influenced every aspect of my life since that time. By making that decision at such an early age, I integrated that decision into every aspect of my life. From that moment on, my mind was constantly looking for ways to make that decision reality for my life. Giving up this struggle leads to never worrying about where money comes from or how you will pay the bills. It is also developing a trust in yourself as well as money, so that you are comfortable knowing that you will do what is needed as well as trusting that money will be there when you need it.

Even though you may be reading this much older than my 15 year old self, it’s not too late to make that decision. You can begin to change your perspective and take back your power around money at any age. So, your first step is to DECIDE. Decide you aren’t going to struggle anymore. Decide that you are going to become BFFs with money and change the course of your financial future.

Be Grateful for the money you have. The next step to owning your life and feeling good about money is to really be grateful for what money you earn or have. I think we often get into the bad little habit of blaming our salary or hourly wage for not being “enough”. Or we get into the habit of comparing our income to someone else’s. When we do those things we are giving away our power. We are letting ourselves become a “victim” and placing the blame on something outside ourselves.

On the other hand, if we look at the money we are earning with gratitude, we shift that energy. It no longer is about something outside of us, but it is completely internal and we are controlling how we feel about it. So next, get into gratitude and shift how you feel about the money you do have or earn each week.

Practice Saving. One of my favorite ways to feel empowered and good about my finances is to practice saving. It was something that was expected from my early childhood and I’ve never stopped. I know that often when we think of saving it is intended for a rainy day or an unexpected expense. But to me saving is more important than that. To me it is part of making that decision that I’m not going to struggle with money. That decision put me in the BFF zone with money.

When I practice saving, I am showing respect to the money that is flowing into my life by showing it that I know how to be a good steward. It is showing money that it is important to me. Furthermore, it is showing myself that I believe that money is going to be available to me when I need it.
As long as I can remember, I’ve kept secret stashes of money that I’ve saved. And even though my stashes are much smaller now that my income is lower while I build my business, I still have them and I still practice it every single month.

One of my favorite ways to save money is to have a portion of my income put into a separate savings account every month. Sometimes I have to pull it out and spend it. Others I get to leave it there. But the important thing is taking the ACTION itself and setting some money aside.

I encourage you, even if it is just $1 per week, do it. Put it in a box or an envelope and save it. When you get enough, open that savings account and ask for two direct deposits from your paycheck, one to your checking and on to your savings. When I was still working in corporate, I never worked for an employer that wouldn’t do it for me! And now that I’m my own boss, I make sure to transfer funds to a separate savings account as well as withdraw cash to keep in my secret stashes. 🙂

Trust. Another important factor for feeling good about money is to trust that you won’t be without. Don’t be afraid to spend the money you have. This is another one that is a respect thing. You are showing money that you respect it, you aren’t afraid of it and you totally TRUST that there will be more when you need it.

I think too often we come at money from this place of fear and lack and we forget that we are in charge. Money isn’t in charge. Other people aren’t in charge. YOU are in charge of your own destiny and choices. One of those choices is trusting that money is continually flowing to you and through you when you need it.

So, don’t be afraid to spend money on something you really want. Do it from a place of choice. And don’t feel guilty about it. Keep the money flowing out of your life and trust the money is going to flow right back in.

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