REWRITE YOUR MONEY STORY

Rewriting Your Money Story

By Jean Archary

As Albert Einstein famously said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

If you have been living from pay check to pay check or merely getting by on your stipend, it might be time to look at your money beliefs.

My personal ‘money story’ or relationship with money has been challenging – based on early childhood memories and the belief in not being ‘worthy’ of lasting financial security. Being born into abundance then forced into a place of scarcity led me to question my self-worth and ability to ‘hold onto’ money later in life. Over the years, it has been a tug of war filled with insight, discovery, and practice to right the wrongs of the past. One of the things that really helped me was to consciously work on rewriting my money beliefs.

Here are 5 simple steps you can follow to help reprogram your negative beliefs about money:

1. Identify the negative belief – awareness is the first step

2. Discover the root cause

3. Understand the symptoms of your negative belief – as evidenced in your behaviour

4. Rewrite a new belief The first step is to identify negative or self-limiting money beliefs. Notice any disempowering expressions or words you use regarding money. Repeating expressions such as “money doesn’t grow on trees” or “you must work hard for your money” or “only the rich get rich” are examples of negative money beliefs. Consider your patterned negative beliefs, and write them down.

Select your most repeated negative belief, like “money doesn’t grow on trees” – a common expression parents relay to their kids, that can lead to a scarcity mindset later in life.

Go back in time and recall the first time you heard this negative belief. Consider the circumstances in which it was said; who said it; and why it was said. Remember, our parents did the best they could with what they knew. Understanding the context around which these beliefs were shared helps us to make sense of and reprogram them. When you reverse this thinking, you will notice an abundance of opportunities. Secondly, locate the root cause of your current problematic behaviour around money. Perhaps you’re modelling the behaviour of a parent, acting from a place of low self-worth, or struggling in the aftermath of a perceived financial failure.

The third step involves identifying those events that are likely to trigger any negative emotions about money, and the symptoms thereof in your behaviour and money habits. These will provide necessary clues to help you reframe the way you think and behave in your financial life.

The final step is to replace your money belief with a new one. “Money doesn’t grow on trees” can be rewritten to “this is not in my budget right now” or “let’s save towards it.” The words we use have immense power in what we attract into our lives. When you say, “money doesn’t grow on trees”, you immediately shut down the thought of earning, saving and spending money. By replacing the expression with a more empowering one and repeating this frequently, you begin the process of reprogramming your mind. Remember that it takes time to rewrite a negative belief that you have lived with for decades. It can be overridden, but it requires practice.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jean is the founder and owner of Money Messages, which offers financial education, wellness and coaching solutions to help individuals and organisations shift the way they think, feel and behave with money. For more information or to get in touch, visit www.moneymessages.co.za.