Fear, anxiety, depression, sadness, doubt, guilt, worry... money can bring about a lot of emotions, sometimes negative. Most recently, personal finance podcasters, authors, and bloggers are delving into the trauma of money and what it means to us. It's important to reflect on what money means to us and whether we have negative emotions surrounding this topic so that we can clear these negative thoughts and notions, move forward and upward in life.
Have you created a (negative) story about money in your mind?
Do you have (overall) negative feelings about money?
How often do you pause, reflect and focus on gratitude?
Each day, I take out a piece of blank paper and brainstorm all the reasons I'm grateful, from having a safe and clean home to live in, to having food in the fridge, to having positive, strong, loving and supportive people all around me. I encourage you to try this exercise today to reframe thoughts each day to more positive and grateful thoughts, including the thoughts you have around money if they tend to be on the more negative side of things.
We may have challenges or negative stories in the past surrounding money but the more we are aware of these stories, acknowledge them but work to change them into positive reframes, the more we are able to act in a proactive way, making way to change our life and money stories for the positive.
One of the main reasons people get stuck along the way to having financial freedom, is the past. The memories of life being difficult seem just too strong to overcome! But, you can begin opening up doors for yourself today by focusing on the small things that you already have in your life that bring you joy and positivity. Can you think of three things that you are grateful for right now? -Ken Honda, Author of "Happy Money"
