Negative Beliefs About Money - How Can You Change Them?
What Are Negative Beliefs About Money?
Negative beliefs about money are simply beliefs we've picked up that have negative associations with money. Classic ones are "Money doesn't grow on trees" or "Rich people are bad".
Why Are They Important?
They are vitally important for two reasons. The first is that they influence the way we habitually handle money - whether we save or spend. And secondly, as most are acquired unconsiously, we are often unaware of the beliefs' existence.
This means that most people are under the influence of forces that control their spending that they're not even consciously aware of.
Can You Change Negative Beliefs?
The great news is that once we're aware of them, we can change them. And there are many effective ways of changing beliefs. One method that most people have come across is the use of affirmations.
The Truth About Affirmations
Affirmations, despite being a well-known technique, have got a bad reputation. So many people have tried them out, only to find they don't work. Then they give up on affirmations as a technique for change.
The trouble is, most people just don't use affirmations correctly.
They are taught to affirm something they want, have it in the first person (ie "I"), put it in the present tense and phrase it in the positive. A classic example is from Coue: "Every day and in every way I'm getting better and better." All this is fine, but it's just not enough.
Merely asserting what you want does not properly engage your emotions. And, critically, it does not engage your body, which can be used so effectively as a feedback mechanism.
What To Do Instead
Just follow these five steps to ensure success in the use of affirmations to change beliefs.
Step One
Take the negative belief eg "Money doesn't grow on trees" and express the opposite. Don't get stressed about getting this perfect. Any positive phrase that seems to be opposite is fine. For example, either "money is abundant" or "money is freely available" would work.
Step Two
Ensure the belief is phrased as a positive affirmation, is in the present tense and in the first person. For example, "I realise that money is abundant". Say the affirmation out loud in a way that you believe it. Say it a few times.
Step Three
Now pause and notice the effect that has on your body. Do you notice any tension, any stiffness, any bad feeling? All these are signs of resistance. If you have any, great - just accept it and focus on it.
Step Four
State the affirmation again, and again focus on the specific feeling it causes in your body. Notice if it's changed in intensity or moved. Repeat your affirmation and check with your body again. Also notice any self-talk and accept that, whatever it is.
Step Five
Repeat your affirmation until you get an acceptance from your body. Sometimes this will happen quickly, other times it may take several days of repeating your affirmation.
What Is Acceptance From Your Body?
It varies from person to person, but there are some commonalities. You may notice the feeling in your body - perhaps tension - shifting to another location. You may notice a distinct relaxation in a part of your body - perhaps your neck or shoulders. Some people notice their body becoming more aligned and balanced. A sure sign is a sigh of acceptance.
If you try this with a few affirmations, one at a time, you will get to know your body's responses and will be able to calibrate those responses.
So What Have We Done?
In this article we have covered the importance of addressing our negative beliefs about money and have outlined one effective way of dealing with them. Affirmations, we have found, can be effective if we engage our body as a feedback mechanism.
Once we become aware of our body's reaction to the new affirmation, we can work with it to incorporate the new belief into our being. Once we do that, we're on track to changing all our negative beliefs about money and adopting good wealth accumulating behaviours.
What Are Negative Beliefs About Money?
Negative beliefs about money are simply beliefs we've picked up that have negative associations with money. Classic ones are "Money doesn't grow on trees" or "Rich people are bad".
Why Are They Important?
They are vitally important for two reasons. The first is that they influence the way we habitually handle money - whether we save or spend. And secondly, as most are acquired unconsiously, we are often unaware of the beliefs' existence.
This means that most people are under the influence of forces that control their spending that they're not even consciously aware of.
Can You Change Negative Beliefs?
The great news is that once we're aware of them, we can change them. And there are many effective ways of changing beliefs. One method that most people have come across is the use of affirmations.
The Truth About Affirmations
Affirmations, despite being a well-known technique, have got a bad reputation. So many people have tried them out, only to find they don't work. Then they give up on affirmations as a technique for change.
The trouble is, most people just don't use affirmations correctly.
They are taught to affirm something they want, have it in the first person (ie "I"), put it in the present tense and phrase it in the positive. A classic example is from Coue: "Every day and in every way I'm getting better and better." All this is fine, but it's just not enough.
Merely asserting what you want does not properly engage your emotions. And, critically, it does not engage your body, which can be used so effectively as a feedback mechanism.
What To Do Instead
Just follow these five steps to ensure success in the use of affirmations to change beliefs.
Step One
Take the negative belief eg "Money doesn't grow on trees" and express the opposite. Don't get stressed about getting this perfect. Any positive phrase that seems to be opposite is fine. For example, either "money is abundant" or "money is freely available" would work.
Step Two
Ensure the belief is phrased as a positive affirmation, is in the present tense and in the first person. For example, "I realise that money is abundant". Say the affirmation out loud in a way that you believe it. Say it a few times.
Step Three
Now pause and notice the effect that has on your body. Do you notice any tension, any stiffness, any bad feeling? All these are signs of resistance. If you have any, great - just accept it and focus on it.
Step Four
State the affirmation again, and again focus on the specific feeling it causes in your body. Notice if it's changed in intensity or moved. Repeat your affirmation and check with your body again. Also notice any self-talk and accept that, whatever it is.
Step Five
Repeat your affirmation until you get an acceptance from your body. Sometimes this will happen quickly, other times it may take several days of repeating your affirmation.
What Is Acceptance From Your Body?
It varies from person to person, but there are some commonalities. You may notice the feeling in your body - perhaps tension - shifting to another location. You may notice a distinct relaxation in a part of your body - perhaps your neck or shoulders. Some people notice their body becoming more aligned and balanced. A sure sign is a sigh of acceptance.
If you try this with a few affirmations, one at a time, you will get to know your body's responses and will be able to calibrate those responses.
So What Have We Done?
In this article we have covered the importance of addressing our negative beliefs about money and have outlined one effective way of dealing with them. Affirmations, we have found, can be effective if we engage our body as a feedback mechanism.
Once we become aware of our body's reaction to the new affirmation, we can work with it to incorporate the new belief into our being. Once we do that, we're on track to changing all our negative beliefs about money and adopting good wealth accumulating behaviours.
It's Not Just About Money
But it's more than just beliefs about money. Often it's beliefs about ourselves that we need to change. Subconsciously, we believe we don't deserve to have money and we are not good enough. It might be you believe you are not good enough to have good relationships, be healthy and be wealthy.
So there is a bigger picture here; we don't look at just beliefs about money but we look at beliefs about ourselves.
Mark Bristow, The Financial Healer, works with people's Self-Worth to enhance their Net Worth.
For more details, go to my website: The Financial Healer
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Bristow
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