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Fear is one of the most
prevalent emotions that people express about their financial position.
Some are in a panic, others have an underlying fear, or free-floating
anxiety, about their financial situation.
On a day-to-day basis, there is often anxiety about not having enough
for necessities, either today or in the future. When it's bill-paying
time, panic, dread, and even physical discomfort are not unusual. Taken
to the extreme, people contemplate suicide as a way out of their
financial problems.
Often, people just can't see
a way out of their financial situation. Feelings of being trapped and
frustrated are common. Internal dialog often includes, "What's the
matter with me? Why can't I get my financial act together when so many
other people can?"
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Let
me assure you that no matter what you level of financial anxiety, there
IS a way out. |
Take action
A powerful antidote for fear is action. Taking
action allows you to feel more in control of your situation and you can
work towards a solution. As long as you allow fear to paralyze you,
nothing will change. If you keep on doing what you are doing, you will
keep getting what you already have.
Wherever you are now is your
habit. You probably have a financial pattern that keeps repeating
itself. The goal becomes to break the habit and create a new, healthier
habit.
Is it easy? No. You've
created a groove and your life goes around and around in that groove.
Creating a new groove takes a strong willingness to change and the
determination to work through your own resistance. The longer you have
been in the grove, the more effort it will take to get out of it.
Can you do it quickly? No.
It takes time to work through old patterns, and it is a complex
process. But if you don't start, you will never move forward. It's not
as if you have to wait until the process is over to see change. Change
happens the minute you start.
There
is one thing that I am sure of: if you set your mind to become
comfortable financially, and you are willing to work on it a little
every day, you can do it.
Believe It
I'm going to ask you to agree to believe one
thing: There is a solution for you and financial comfort and security
are possible for you. You don't have to know how it is going to happen,
you just have to agree to believe that it is possible, and then to act
as if it will happen.
Here's where the action part
comes in. You are going to get yourself ready for financial success.
Some of your actions will appear to have nothing to do with money.
That's because your financial situation is an extension of your
thoughts, beliefs and emotions (TBE's) as well as the energy you
generate -- in all areas of your life.
While you are working
through the process, you will have to deal with the voice inside that
is going to try to keep you where you are. Worry and fear will keep
coming back.
When you feel yourself
starting to worry are give in to fear, it's time to do something else.
After all, the worry and fear are only in your mind. You have the
option of filling your mind with something else. When you thoughts are
positive fifty-one percent of the time, you are moving in a positive
direction.
Affirmations are great. They
can help you reprogram you subconscious to act on a more positive set
of beliefs. You'll find suggestions in the article, 'Affirm It' on our site at ProsperityPlace.com
Here are some actions I suggest you take.
1.
Take an inventory of your life and current financial situation.
Raise your awareness about where you are so you can
evaluate your current position and create a plan for change. Take a
good look at your money - your earning and spending. Doing this, no
matter what the situation, allows you take control of your financial
future.
2.
Set realistic goals based on your personal values. This
helps you create a strategy for change that will be in tune with who
you are -- and who you want to become. (Techniques for doing this are
covered in Exercise 4 of the book Build
Your Money Muscles.)
3.
Learn about money and investments. For a
lot of people, this isn't easy. There seems to be so much to learn.
Start with small things such as reading the financial section of a
newspaper or magazine. Don't try to understand everything, just read it
to get familiar with the terminology. Ignore the part of you that wants
to run away. Wealthy people are familiar with the money world. (We will
be doing a lot to help people become financially literate on the
Members Only section of this site.)
4.
Clean out the old. Get rid of the clutter
in your life that keeps you connected to your past. Make way for a
positive future.
5.
Talk to successful people and read biographies of
those who have overcome obstacles to create success. Be inspired by
others who have accomplished what seemed impossible.
6.
Connect to other people. You don't live in
a vacuum. Aloneness is one of the greatest contributors to financial
fear and discomfort. You may have to overcome a tendency towards
isolation. Money comes from people and the more people you connect to,
the more apt you are to create a financial flow. (Read Money.)
7. If you are in serious financial trouble,
see a debt counselor or go to a Debtors Anonymous meeting. At
these meetings, they deal with issues such as
under-earning, compulsive spending and debting, and other causes for
financial discomfort. See the resources at the end of this article for
information about DA and meetings, online and off.
8.
Say Yes! Get used to saying yes to
yourself and seeing things in a positive light. This may mean
overcoming years of negative thinking. The screen saver I have set up
on my computer is the work Yes! I see this many times a day. When you
have doubts about where your life is going, assure yourself, "You can
do it!"
The fact that you are
reading the material on this site means that you are looking for a new
way. The steps above will get you started
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