You Can Have More Money

Much of what you think and feel about money is subconscious. Powerful emotions about money may be woven into your behaviors and close relationships, creating complex dynamics that affect your financial habits.

These first 30 days can be a time of great transformation. By beginning to understand your emotions about money and making deliberate, small changes, you’ll have a solid foundation on which to build your financial dreams. The rest is just a matter of sticking with the plan!

The Psychology of Having More Money

“Money has a strong emotional component,” says Arlene Englander, MSW, owner of The Wellness Source in Chicago. “We all have beliefs—most of which we may not even be aware. Making those beliefs conscious is very important when we want to bring prosperity into our lives.”

Minneapolis-based money manager John Wing makes his living in the financial sector, but has experienced some major shifts in attitude toward his own prosperity. “When I was 28, I was making a boatload of money, but I was miserable. I learned the hard way that money doesn’t buy happiness,” he says.

“I quit my job, and for awhile, I went through a phase where I believed money itself was bad,” he says. John, a devout follower of Christ, dove into religious texts to read what they had to say about wealth. “There are more Bible verses about money and wealth than about love,” he says. “Being wealthy doesn’t mean you have to be greedy. When you have wealth, you can use money in an honorable way to help others,” he says. Understanding what drives your desire for money is the first step to prosperity.

Developing A Money Mindset

You may not realize the impact your thoughts have on your prosperity. Susan Thorne-Devin, MSW, executive director of Choices Inc. in Glen Ellyn, IL, stresses the importance of visualizing the future. “I suggest developing a plan for increasing their prosperity and then visualizing what their future will be like once that’s achieved,” she says.

Sculptor Richard E. and his wife, Danielle, used to spend a great deal of time worrying about their finances, or lack thereof. “We were constantly thinking about our debts. We finally ‘got it’—that we needed to change our mindset and concentrate on abundance. We started focusing on prosperity, and soon everything turned around for us,” he says.

Life coach Michelle O’Connell, of Jack Canfield’s coaching firm, suggests that you use affirmations to develop new mindsets about having more money and make them stick, and then follow-up with action.

O’Connell tells her clients that “the last five letters of attraction are action, and getting results in your life takes more than just changing your mindset.”