Happy New Year!
Right now is obviously a time rife with New Year’s Resolutions..so let’s play along by setting some money goals of our own, but use our feelings as our motivators!
Forbes just released a study in which 38% of Americans said leveling up their finances in 2024 is one of their biggest priorities. We’re all familiar with stories about how gym memberships go through the roof around this time or year, right? Then, predictably, the parking lots are much emptier come mid-February. How might you be more intentional with your own money this year, and how might that new plan, behavior, goal, etc. be sustainable? Meaning, how might we set some intentions that actually stick?
We talked about the importance of identifying our feelings when it comes to our finances. So, how do you want to feel about your money in 2024? Our feelings about our money lead to our thoughts, and then our behaviors so what better way to set intentions, than at the base level.
Take a moment and think about where you are in your financial life right now. How do you feel in your body just thinking about your money? What comes up when you think about how your money makes your feel? Is it positive or negative? If you’re like a lot of people, it could be not-so-great feelings, including: overwhelm, shame, guilt, scarcity, frustration–an endless list of feeling either a lack of control or that there is just never enough.
If this is how you are feeling right now, you are not alone. Most of us are left virtually unassisted when it comes to our personal money management due to the fact that not all of us were taught about money at home, and teaching people to manage their money as teens and adults, for free, is not prioritized. This unjust and you don’t have to settle.
Back to identifying your feelings: close your eyes and take a deep breath, the one with the longer exhale really helps in order to get centered within our internal systems. Next, take a moment to reset and think about how you really want to feel about your money this year. Perhaps something that’s different than you felt before—look for the ultimate ideal you would like to achieve.
A Few Examples:
“When it comes to my money, I want to feel..”
–SECURE
–CLARITY
–ABUNDANCE
–FREEDOM
How do those sit with you, in your body? Do any of them allow you to take a nice full inhale? Can you identify another feeling you’d like to foster this year that specifically makes you feel lighter? A feeling that allows your shoulders drop down a little, and your body relaxes in response. If you respond with any positive physicality to certain feelings about your finances..FOLLOW THOSE FEELINGS.
Next, by keeping in mind the Thought–>Feeling–>Behavior–>Outcome model previously discussed, identify a few of your own thoughts that flow in tandem with the ideal feeling you’ve chosen.
A Few Examples:
–SECURITY –> “I have the money I need to meet my Needs, Wants, and Goals.”
–CLARITY –> “I know exactly where I make my money, and where I spend it.”
–ABUNDANCE –> “I have more than enough money coming in at all times.”
–FREEDOM –> “I have all the money I need to live the specific lifestyle that I desire.”
These affirmations have the ability to rewire that Thought –> Outcome process. What they have in common is that they are all written as reflections of Feelings. They are also written in present tense, and are meant to be repeated often.
If you’re having trouble articulating anything that makes you feel good, or if it feels too fake to do so, find the opposite of what you’re feeling right now. For example, if you’re feeling overwhelmed by debt, what could be the opposite of overwhelm? “I feel CONSUMED by debt and have trouble seeing a way out” could be transformed into “My debts do not define me, and I feel CAPABLE of finding a solution to becoming debt-free.” Now, use that newly-identified feeling of “CAPABILITY” to jot down a few thoughts that foster that belief. What would someone who is capable of becoming debt-free do as their very next step? What thoughts float through the head’s of financially-capable people? How do you think they feel on a regular basis?
As you settle into another year, where do you think your new well-intentioned Feelings about your money could take you?
Unlocking Abundance 