Fear is one of the most prevalent emotions that people express about their financial position. Some are in a panic, others have an underlying fear, or free-floating anxiety, about their financial situation. On a day-to-day basis, there is often anxiety about not having enough for necessities, either today or in the future. When it’s bill-paying time, panic, dread, and even physical discomfort are not unusual. Taken to the extreme, people contemplate suicide as a way out of their financial problems.
Often, people just can’t see a way out of their financial situation. Feelings of being trapped and frustrated are common. Internal dialog often includes, “What’s the matter with me? Why can’t I get my financial act together when so many other people can?”
Let me assure you that no matter what you level of financial anxiety, there IS a way out.
A powerful antidote for fear is action. Taking action allows you to feel more in control of your situation and you can work towards a solution. As long as you allow fear to paralyze you, nothing will change. If you keep on doing what you are doing, you will keep getting what you already have. Wherever you are doing now is your habit. You probably have a financial pattern that keeps repeating itself. The goal is to break the habit and create a new, healthier habit.
Is it easy? No. You’ve created a groove and your life goes around and around in that groove. Creating a new groove takes a strong willingness to change and the determination to work through your own resistance. The longer you have been in the grove, the more effort it will take to get out of it.
Can you do it quickly? Probably not. It takes time to work through old patterns, and it is a complex process. But if you don’t start, you will never move forward. It’s not as if you have to wait until the process if over to see change. Change happens the minute you start.
There is one thing you can be sure of: if you set your mind to become comfortable financially and you are willing to work on it a little every day, you can do it. I’m going to ask you to agree to believe one thing: There is a solution for you and financial comfort and security are possible for you. You don’t have to know how it is going to happen, you just have to agree to believe that it is possible, and then to act as if it will happen.
Here’s where the action part comes in. You are going to get yourself ready for financial success. Some of your actions will appear to have nothing to do with money. That’s because your financial situation is an extension of your thoughts, beliefs and emotions (TBE’s) as well as the energy you generate — in all areas of your life. While you are working through the process, you will have to deal with the voice inside that is going to try to keep you where you are. Worry and fear will keep coming back.
When you feel yourself starting to worry or give in to fear, it’s time to do something else. After all, the worry and fear are only in your mind. You have the option of filling your mind with something else. When you thoughts are positive fifty-one percent of the time, you are moving in a positive direction.
Affirmations are great. They can help you reprogram you subconscious to act on a more positive set of beliefs.
Here are some actions I suggest you take.
1. Take an inventory of your life and current financial situation. Raise your awareness about where you are so you can evaluate your current position and create a plan for change. Take a good look at your money – your earning and spending. Doing this, no matter what the situation, allows you take control of your financial future.
2. Set realistic goals based on your personal values. This helps you create a strategy for change that will be in tune with who you are — and who you want to become.
3. Learn about money and investments. For a lot of people, this isn’t easy. There seems to be so much to learn. Start with small things such as reading the financial section of a newspaper or magazine. Don’t try to understand everything, just read it to get familiar with the terminology. Ignore the part of you that wants to run away. Wealthy people are familiar with the money world.
4. Clean out the old. Get rid of the clutter in your life that keeps you connected to your past. Make way for a positive future.
5. Talk to successful people and read biographies of those who have overcome obstacles to create success. Be inspired by others who have accomplished what seemed impossible.
6. Connect to other people. You don’t live in a vacuum. Aloneness is one of the greatest contributors to financial fear and discomfort. You may have to overcome a tendency towards isolation. Money comes from people and the more people you connect to, the more apt you are to create a financial flow.
7. If you are in serious financial trouble, see a debt counselor or go to a Debtors Anonymous meeting. At these meetings, they deal with issues such as under-earning, compulsive spending and debt, and other causes for financial discomfort. See the resources at the end of this article for information about DA and meetings, online and off.
8. Say Yes! Get used to saying yes to yourself and seeing things in a positive light. This may mean overcoming years of negative thinking. The screen saver I have set up on my computer is the work Yes! I see this many times a day. When you have doubts about where your life is going, assure yourself, “You can do it!”