02 – Signs of an Unhealthy Money Mindset

You may recognize negative mindset traits in others more than yourself because you’re used to your own rhetoric. Think about the times you’ve been around super negative people who focus on the bad rather than the good and drag you on a downward spiral right along with them.

They’re certainly not fun to be around and it’s doubtful they’re very productive – negative people usually aren’t. If you find yourself with a negative mindset that’s keeping you from reaching your goals, look at your own thought patterns.

Recognize Negative Mindset Traits

Thoughts such as, “I’ll never succeed like that person,” “I know I’m going to fail,” and “I have no confidence or experience” will set the stage for failure before you even begin. Why should anyone be willing to pay you for guidance when you don’t even trust yourself?

Because of that low self-worth and negative thinking, you may not be willing to invest in your future by taking time to research or to pay someone who can help you learn to succeed. You tend to flounder in your own self-pity.

Another negative mindset trait to be aware of is focusing on what you don’t have rather than what can happen if you take the reins of your own path to success and begin to move forward.

Here are some more signs that your attitude toward money could use some improvement.

Frequent Feelings of Jealousy and Bitterness

You go to the mall and see another customer buying the beautiful dress you wanted. You feel a pang of disappointment then jealousy. You see your friend taking her kids to Disney World for summer vacation while your family is struggling just to keep food on the table. You feel angry and bitter whenever you think about it.

These feelings are understandable. It’s frustrating to struggle with money when it seems like everyone else has it so good. Acknowledge these feelings when you encounter them but don’t focus on your feelings.

Negative feelings hurt you in the long-run and make it harder for you to improve your own money situation because you’re so busy keeping score.

Hoarding What You Do Have

When they hear the word ‘hoarding’, most people think of houses filled to the brim with useless items. But some types of hoarding are less obvious than that. It might be that you’re holding onto a closet full of old clothes because you’re afraid you might need them at some point. It could be that you keep things — even broken things — because you think you’ll find a use for them some day.

This type of hoarding doesn’t interfere with your daily life, but it does affect your relationship with money. You’re subconsciously sending yourself the message that you don’t have enough and you never will.

Instead of living in beautiful abundance and trusting that you’ll have enough to meet your needs as they come, you’re closely guarding your things.

Procrastination and Avoidance

Rather than being confident and secure in the career you’ve chosen, you may fear the outcome so much that you never begin or waste time wallowing in despair rather than finding hope for the future.

Or maybe you allow yourself to be continually distracted, instead of focusing on what needs to get done and doing it. This has been called “shiny object syndrome,” because those afflicted by it are always looking for something new and shiny to distract them from the job at hand.

Some negative mindset problems begin with the past. If you can’t let go of a painful situation that happened in the past, you may have difficulty finding success. You settle into the mindset of being a victim rather than fighting for what you deserve.

This is a typical example of thinking with so much negativity that you can’t be productive and build for the future. Another negative mindset trait is when you feel plagued with guilt rather than feeling good about what you’ve accomplished.

Let go of the blame and become more compassionate toward yourself. Focus instead on making a positive impact on the lives of others. Your negative mindset can’t last long when you harbor a positive outlook on life.

Refusing to Invest in Yourself

Often, solopreneurs and small business owners reach a plateau. A plateau is the point where you can go no further in your business or in your life, unless you invest in yourself first.

An example of this in your personal life would be losing ninety pounds and having twenty left to lose. You want to lose the final twenty but you’ve plateaued. You’ve reached a point where you can’t go any further on your own.

This type of plateau can occur in your business, too. It might be that you’re a motivational speaker but you’re only getting booked for small events. You want to speak to bigger crowds in larger venues.

You could continue to struggle for a few years or you could invest in yourself. Hire a coach to help you grow your speaking business. Book a session with a speaking consultant to ask for advice.

The first step to changing your financial outlook is to acknowledge that you’re not happy where you are. Once you do this, financial doors will begin to open for you and you’ll discover a better relationship with money.