Heal your relationship with money through acceptance, appreciation and respect.
Love and money are two key areas in most peoples’ lives, both involving a relationship. Our money beliefs and how we relate to finances determines our relationship with money. Some of us love it and welcome it into our lives in a balanced way. Some of us fear it (or the lack of it) and hoard it away. Others can’t quite have it and spend it as soon as it arrives.
Whether you operate from scarcity or abundance, whether you are a spender or saver, you can heal your money issues by treating it like a relationship. To start, focus on three important areas of any relationship: acceptance, appreciation and respect.
Accept Your Money Beliefs and Issues
What we resist persists, so acceptance is the key to changing any behavior or problem. If we deny, judge or criticize our spouse or friend it only hinders the relationship. It’s the same with money. Step out of denial and take a look at your finances from an honest, neutral perspective. Do you have a spending problem, debt issues, income challenges or difficulty saving money? Without judging, cringing or blaming anyone, including yourself, simply explore the reality of the situation. Most of us weren’t raised with healthy financial advice, so we have to traverse this arena ourselves. With awareness and acceptance powerful change can take place.
Once you’ve determined the truth of your financial situation, dig a little deeper into what causes these behaviors. Look at your money beliefs. If you believe you can’t have it, you won’t. If you believe that money is bad, destructive or evil you won’t go near it. If you were raised with a scarcity mindset, this will prevent you from seeing opportunities to create abundance. For the moment, just accept these as they are; don’t struggle against them or hide in embarrassment. From this place of acceptance you can gently clear out the limiting beliefs and start to adopt more realistic, supportive ones.
Appreciate Money and What it Offers
If you’re fearful about not having enough money or frustrated with the amount of bills you have to pay, this will taint your relationship with money. Appreciation is a high vibration which attracts more of the same. As you appreciate what you have, more abundance will come into your life.
Be thankful for the amount of finances in your life no matter how large or small. Instead of grumbling when you receive a bill, appreciate having these services in your life. Feel gratitude for having a roof over your head, telephone and internet services, and groceries available at the store. Reflect on how your financial contribution for services helps to employ thousands of people, keeping the economy flowing. Remember, what we give we receive.
Respect Your Financial Budget
Part of a healthy relationship involves having healthy boundaries. A financial budget sets the boundaries for spending and saving. Create a realistic budget that allows you to cover your basic needs and have room for fun and savings. This may mean cutting back in one area in order to save for another. For example, many people give up purchasing a coffee and muffin a few times a week and instead put that money into a jar. Over time this grows and provides savings for more important items.
Once you’ve created a healthy financial budget, respect it by honoring what you’ve chosen. Don’t dip into the travel savings account to cover another expense. And don’t use household money to pay for a treat. This will only erode your money relationship. Honor and respect your budget by trusting that money will arrive to pay for the other items.
With acceptance, appreciation and respect, you can heal your relationship with money.
What other aspects of a relationship are important to you, and how can you apply this to money? Please share your ideas below.
