Can money affirmations improve our financial well-being?
For so many people, money is a source of stress and anxiety. Whether it’s lingering credit card debt or a fruitless job search or being underpaid in your role, financial worries can make us feel stuck and powerless.
But there is one thing you can start doing today to feel more financially empowered. And that is to shift your money mindset with money affirmations.
Affirmations and positive thinking may sound mystical and woo-woo, but whether we realize it or not, our thoughts do play an influential role in how we make and spend money. Whether it’s lack mentality or the feeling that we’re not worthy of a high paying job, these types of false beliefs can limit our potential and progress.
The key to dismantling these stubborn beliefs is to reframe them with money affirmations.
Studies have shown that affirmations can help us relieve stress, cultivate self-belief, and make us feel more empowered. So if empowering self-talk can bring us positive change in our everyday lives, then why wouldn't it have the same impact on our career and finances?
Of course, you should still follow traditional financial advice and do your best to become knowledgeable. But in addition to learning how to invest, pay off debt, and be smarter about money, you can also do the internal work to build financial confidence.
Below, we’ll walk you through how affirmations work so that you can reset your attitudes about money and start taking steps for a brighter financial future.
What is "lack mentality"?
Before we dive into money affirmations, it’s important to understand what lack mentality is so that you can become better aware of any negative or limiting beliefs you may have about money.
Lack mentality is a restrictive attitude about opportunities, resources, and potential. It can also be referred to as a scarcity mindset or a limiting belief. With lack mentality, you believe that you don’t deserve to make a lot of money. Or you’re afraid to spend money because you believe it will all go away one day. Or you think that the only way to make money is to work tooth and nail for every penny.
Lack mentality can come from parental, social, or cultural messaging. If you grew up seeing your parents struggling with money, then you might have picked up their money habits and attitudes as well. Or if TV and movies are always depicting artists and writers as living in squalor, then it’s easy to form a limiting belief around creativity and money.
Meanwhile, an abundance mindset comes from a place of expansion. People with an abundance mindset believe that there is ample opportunity and no limit to our potential. An abundance mindset strives for big goals. An abundance mindset believes that there is enough money and prosperity to go around.
So how do we go from a lack mentality to an abundant one? We defuse our limiting beliefs by replacing them with empowering affirmations.
How to use money affirmations
Whether you’re new to affirmation work or a regular practitioner, it’s good to learn how to use them effectively so that you can get the most out of this exercise. Here are some tips and techniques on how to use money affirmations.
Get specific about what you want
First, it’s helpful to identify what you want to create or attract in your life. In this sense, an affirmation is no different from setting a goal. When you get specific about what you want in life, you’ll then have a clearer idea of the actions you need to take next.
So take some time to write in your journal and explore what you’re looking to financially manifest.
- Do you want a promotion?
- Do you want a higher paying job?
- Do you want enough money to buy a house?
- Do you want to travel around the world?
- Do you want new clothes?
During this exercise, your limiting beliefs might pop up and an inner voice will tell you “that’s too shallow” or “you’re being selfish” or “that’s impossible.” This is actually really helpful. Because now you know which limiting beliefs to target and work on.
So let’s say your goal is to buy a house, but your inner voice is telling you “that’s impossible.” Try reframing that limiting belief to expand your thinking around that idea.
- Limiting belief: I’ll never be able to afford a house.
- Money Affirmation: I will find the perfect house that’s within my budget.
- Here are more examples of how to reframe limiting beliefs:
- Limiting belief: It’s shallow to spend your money on clothes.
- Money affirmation: I’m allowed to treat myself and take care of my appearance.
- Limiting belief: I don’t have enough experience to get a promotion.
Money affirmation: I have plenty of experience and I am more than qualified to get the job I want.
Write your affirmation down
Visualization is a big part of affirmation work and being able to see your affirmation, whether on paper or on a vision board, will make your affirmation stick. Again, it’s all about trying to be as clear and specific as possible.
Repeat your money affirmation
Creating an abundant money mindset requires regular practice. It’s similar to developing a new habit or routine. You need to set aside time each day to practice your money affirmation until it becomes a regular part of your thinking.
Here are ways that you can incorporate money affirmations into your everyday life and make them stick.
- Write down your affirmations in a notebook. Some people like to write it down several times to let the words sink in.
- Write down affirmations on post-its and stick them around your workplace or bedroom.
- Create a vision board using your money affirmation.
- Recite your affirmation out loud.
- Repeat your affirmation during a meditation session.
Changing our attitudes about money and abundance won’t happen overnight. You even might lapse into negative attitudes every now and then, but try to remember that progress isn’t linear. The important thing is to keep at it. The more frequently you use money affirmations, the more empowered and plentiful you will feel about your financial well-being.
Written by JiJi Lee.
