If you’ve been working on your money issues for a while, you may have been told that you have limiting beliefs around money and that’s why you can’t seem to make more money or save any money. “Limiting beliefs” sound like scary words, but they’re really just thoughts that hold us back from achieving our goals.
Common limiting beliefs around money are that it’s dirty or bad or that we can only have a lot of money if we work hard and long at it. More often than not, these beliefs stem from what we were taught (or not taught, in some cases) as kids. They’re passed along from one generation to the next and often influenced by major life events like wars and the Great Depression.
Limiting beliefs are difficult to let go of because we pick them up at such a young age that we’re constantly bombarded with them before we have a chance to develop our own positive relationship with money. There’s good news though—you can release these limiting beliefs and journaling is a very powerful tool in helping you do this.
Loving Money is Perfectly Natural
Who doesn’t love money? No matter what you’ve been told, it’s perfectly natural to feel this way, because money allows us to do so much in our lives. With money we have access to more opportunities than we do without it. But you don’t hear people talking about how much they love money. Why not?
Talking about money at all seems to have a stigma associated with it. This has been slowly changing over the years, and hopefully it continues to change. The only way to develop healthy relationships is by discussing them. If that makes you uncomfortable, that’s okay. By journaling about it, you’ll eventually get to the point where you can start talking.
So, when someone says they love money in a society where bringing up the topic in the first place is frowned upon, that person is going to get some weird looks. People will say they’re forward or bragging about their wealth, which is completely ridiculous. Anyone who’s ever used money for their own benefit or other’s loves money.
Money Allows Abundance
Abundance means having a lot. When it comes to money, this relates to all the things money allows in your life. And although I used the word “things,” money allows an abundance of experiences too. Money allows people to go on a vacation or hop on a plane and visit loved ones.
There are a lot of experiences that don’t cost money, but how many times have you caught yourself saying, “If only I had more money, I’d do xyz?” Next time you catch yourself saying that—stop! This kind of self talk feeds limiting beliefs. Change it around to, “I will do that.” It’s even better if you can set a date and incorporate that goal into your affirmations.
Money allows us to do the things we’re dreaming of, but we need to make a plan for when and how, otherwise it remains a dream rather than a goal. Look around at all the things money has already helped you achieve and feel inspired to allow more of that abundance into your life.
Money Holds Energy
If you’re going to love money, then you should treat it that way. Have you ever received a dirty coin as part of your change? Did you notice? Did it make you cringe? That’s what I’m talking about when I say energy. You probably got a certain vibe from that dirty coin that was much different than how you felt putting a shiny new coin in your pocket.
I feel really sad when I get a bill that’s been ripped. I always fix it before putting it in my wallet, and I clean my coins too. I know this may sound completely nuts, but for me it’s my way of showing my money that I respect it. I want to feel good energy when I think about my money, and dirty or ripped money doesn’t give me good vibes, but I can change that.
Money also holds energy in the sense that you exchange it for things you need and want. In a way, before you’ve purchased something, that money is holding a space (and holding the energy) of what it is you desire. When you think of your money in this way, it really is opening a lot of doors for you and helping you achieve your goals.
Affirmations
If you’ve read my posts in the past, you know I’m fond of affirmations. I have a few I use on a regular basis to help me as I progress toward my work and personal goals, including my money goals. Here are a few you can try to help you love money.
- I love money, and money loves me.
- I have a healthy relationship with money.
- I have the money to live my dreams.
- I’m happy to have an abundance of money in my life.
As always, I invite you to create your own affirmations too. They always mean more when they come from you, and nobody knows your situation better than you do! Write them in the present tense as if you’re living your dreams already.
Journal Prompts
How is my relationship with money?
Thinking about your current situation, write about anything you want to get off your mind when it comes to your relationship with money. You can even dig deep and write about your past too. If you remember things that happened when you were a child that are related to your limiting beliefs around money, then write about those too.
It can be scary to think about these things, but remember, when you’re journaling, nobody needs to see your journal but you. You can even rip it up or burn it after if you’re worried about someone discovering your most personal thoughts.
What can I do to improve my relationship with money?
When answering this question, think about how you’d like your relationship with money to improve. What steps can you take to have a healthy relationship with money? Think of this like a brainstorming session. There are no bad ideas—write whatever pops into your head. You can always take time later to evaluate your ideas if you feel called to, but for now, you’re just getting them down on paper.
How can my relationship with money be more loving?
So now that you know where your beliefs about money are coming from, what can you do to really love money? What does loving money feel like to you? Maybe you need to get a new wallet because the one you have has a hole in it and you keep losing your change. If you find it difficult to love money, think of the times when you’ve used money to do something you enjoy or purchased something you really appreciated owning.
Now that you’ve gone deep with your journal writing and you know why it can be hard to love money, remember the many reasons to love money too. Life is a work in progress. The more you journal and use your affirmations, the more natural it will become for you.
I hope, during this month of love, you will make time to love your money!
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Have you read this Money Matters article? *How Can Journaling Improve Your Finances?
From Mari:
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Author bio: Michelle Cornish is the author of Prosperity Planner: Manage Your Personal Finances and Get Out of Debt, an undated planner where she shares more about her personal financial journey and her TREE Method for keeping her personal finances in check.
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