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SEARCHOur Wellness Blogger Mary Wilson shares strategies for enhancing your relationship with money, leading to greater financial well-being, freedom and peace of mind.
Mary Wilson
As we go into the busiest, and hopefully most profitable time of the year in our businesses, we have an opportunity to pause and reflect on our relationship with money. We make it and we spend it, money is a flow of energy, money in and money out.
If we are smart, careful and responsible, we save some of it along the way.
As we approach the end of 2024, there is an opportunity to stop for a moment and evaluate your relationship with money.
As we go through life, we are shaped by our personal experiences, cultural influences, societal norms, and psychological factors.
Mary Wilson
Here are some key aspects that contribute our relationship with money.
Family Background: The way our families handle money, including their attitudes towards saving, spending, and financial education, significantly influences our own beliefs and behaviors regarding money.
Cultural Influences & Societal Norms: Different cultures have varying beliefs about money, what is the norm, wealth, and success. These cultural norms can shape our values and attitudes towards financial matters. This includes societal pressures related to consumerism, status, and material success.
Personal Experiences: Individual experiences, such as financial hardships, successes, or education, can significantly impact how we view and interact with money. Positive or negative experiences can lead to different attitudes, such as fear, confidence, or indifference.
Personality Traits: Factors such as risk tolerance, anxiety levels, and self-discipline, can influence how we manage money. Additionally, psychological concepts like money scripts—unconscious beliefs about money formed in childhood—can play a significant role.
Reshaping a negative relationship with money involves a combination of mindset shifts, practical strategies, and behavioral changes.
How can you Identify your beliefs about money? Reflect on how your upbringing, experiences, and societal influences have shaped your views. Consider journaling about your feelings and experiences related to money. This can help uncover underlying fears or anxieties and beliefs that may hold you back from getting everything you want and more.
Once you have identified how your beliefs about how money could be affecting you, you can set a plan to gain strength and control.
In order to manifest abundance, we have to replace negative self-talk about money with positive affirmations. Challenge limiting beliefs and reframe your thoughts. View money as a tool that can help you achieve your goals rather than as a source of stress.
Practice gratitude for all that you have already, celebrate your financial achievements and take pride in your progress along the way.
Engage in acts of giving, whether through volunteering, donations or helping others financially. This can create a positive association with money as sharing resources can lead to a sense of abundance rather than scarcity.
Mary Wilson
Some ways to this are to read books, online articles, attend workshops, or take online courses to improve your financial literacy. Set goals defined with what financial success looks like for you. Set specific, realistic and time-bound goals.
Create and live by a budget that allows you to live within your means and includes saving. Practice a mindful approach to spending. Before making a purchase, ask yourself if it aligns with your values and goals. Consider implementing a waiting period for non-essential purchases to reduce impulse spending.
Once have saved some money you may want to hire a professional money manager to navigate the best ways to invest and plan for a secure retirement.
By taking these steps, you can gradually enhance your relationship with money, leading to greater financial well-being, freedom and peace of mind. By taking some time now to be mindful this holiday season, you can avoid the January financial hangover that many experience. Remember that change takes time, so be patient with yourself and others throughout the process.
Mary Wilson
About the Author:Mary Wilson has been a beauty industry pro for 40 years and has contributed in many arenas including marketing, sales, education, communication and presentation skills. She has always believed the very best way to find overall happiness is to create authentic beauty while maintaining your own physical, mental and emotional health. In addition to being a beauty industry leader, Mary has been a certified yoga teacher for the past 10 years, leading wellness retreats and teaching yoga, breath work. reiki and energy healing. Since launching Wilson Collective in 2019, Mary has embarked on sharing her message directly with stylist and salon owners by traveling the country in an RV with her partner and husband and sharing the Wilson Brand, teaching the Wilson Method of Haircutting, as well as Styling and Wellness.
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