It’s been said that negative thoughts lead to a negative life. Whether true or not, it’s not worth risking it! When it comes to how you think, positivity is the only way to go…especially with your money. The more positively you think, the more gratitude you express, and the more likely you are to have wins consistently come your way.
With that being said, if negativity is your go-to state of mind, it’s time to change things up. I’m sharing 6 negative thoughts hurting your money situation so you can turn those thoughts around.
6 Negative Thoughts Hurting Your Money Situation
#1 “I’m broke”
Here’s the thing: whether you’re truly broke or not, the fact that you think it makes it your reality. Read 5 Signs You Shouldn’t Be as Broke as You Are to really determine if you’re broke or not.
Most of the time people aren’t really broke…or they shouldn’t be. They’re just overspending, which makes them feel like they’re broke.
Instead of letting the broke mentality get the better of you, figure out what’s really going on with your money. Get your budget set up and you’ll know instantly if you’re “broke” or not.
If the numbers show you don’t make enough money, I still want you to stop thinking you’re broke. Instead, start thinking that you need to make more money!
#2 “I don’t make good money”
When you think you don’t make good money, you don’t appreciate the money you do make. It’s almost as if you’re disrespecting your income.
I will tell you this—if the money you make covers all of your basic living necessities, then you make good money. At minimum, you need to be able to survive. When you can’t sustain your basic lifestyle with your income, you should be seeking more money.
Our thoughts are all a matter of perception, but perception is also usually the reality. Start perceiving that you make good money and you’ll start believing you make good money.
Not to mention, “good” is purely an opinion. What does “good” mean to you? If you don’t make “good” money, go out there and make it!
#3 “I’ll die with debt”
With student loan debt in the trillions, it’s hard not to think you’ll die with debt. If you went to a four-year university, then got a master’s degree, and then got a doctorate, you likely have a hefty debt bill.
But that doesn’t mean you’ll die with debt! Even if your debt appears to have no end in sight, focusing on paying it off should be your biggest goal.
This gets at the philosophy of focusing on the solution, not the problem. Your debt is the problem, but paying it off is the solution. You can’t sit and waste your energy thinking and focusing on the problem. That won’t fix it. Only when you shift focus to the solution—paying off your debt—will you start feeling better and recognizing your wins.
#4 “I’ll never be successful”
Just like I mentioned making “good money” is purely subjective, so is “success.” You get to determine what success looks like for you. It doesn’t have to mirror what other people have.
And please, don’t mirror success off of what celebrities have! They should be excluded from any comparison game!
I challenge you to think about what success means to you personally. Does it look like retiring early? Is it having all of your debt, including mortgage, paid off? Will success mean you’re a millionaire?
Only you can decide what success looks like for your life. Once you decide on what constitutes success, start thinking about what you need to do to get there.
What steps can you take right now to get you closer to that “successful” life? That’s where your focus should be. When you make success attainable, by getting clear on what it looks like, you can start working towards it. Before you know it, you will be successful!
#5 “That person is better off because of X, Y, Z”
Like I said above, celebrities should be left out of any comparison—their situation is completely different from everyone else’s. However, a best practice is not to compare yourself to others, period.
You don’t really know what a person has. Even if they put stuff on social media or tell you what they have, it doesn’t make it true. People only share the good, and forget to mention the bad.
Instead of thinking that person is better off because of X, Y, or Z, shift your thoughts to “that person seems to have X, Y, or Z, and that’s something I’d like to work towards.” Put the focus back on you and your situation. That person may have X, Y, or Z and you’re jealous of it, but you don’t know what they did to get it—or if they truly even have it.
Once again, looking at what you can control is the most important thing. You can’t control what others have, but you can control how you think about it. You don’t have to let it get you jealous. You can choose to let it inspire or motivate you.
#6 “I can’t control myself”
This is a big one! You CAN control yourself! In fact, you’re the only one in control. No one is holding you at gunpoint and forcing you to swipe your credit card! No one is waking you up in the middle of the night and demanding ransom if you don’t shop on Amazon!
My point is that you’re fully in control of your actions.
It may not feel that way at times, but it’s true. Once you start understanding that your actions are purely a result of your thoughts, you’ll start thinking differently. Do you go out to eat every Friday because you think you’ve earned it after a hard week? You can shift your thinking to keeping money in your bank account because you work so hard for it.
Like I said, you get to dictate how you think and what you do. When you start recognizing that, the game changes!
You start thinking like a winner and therefore you start acting like a winner. Each and every one of us is capable! It’s simply a matter of doing.
Related: 10 Money Mantras to Spark Financial Motivation
Even if you don’t believe thinking positively can make your life better, you need to realize that thinking negatively isn’t helping anything either! Since you have a choice in the matter, because you control your thinking, it’s worth transitioning from the dark side.
Stop thinking negatively and watch your situation come to life! Do you tend to have negative thoughts? How do you keep yourself positive and motivated? Share your feedback in the comments section below!
