Science has long
proven that our childhood brains are like sponges; absorbing and storing
everything we hear, see, feel and experience.
But there is a particularly spongy
period from age 2 to 6 where - due to our brainwaves being in a ‘Theta’ state
(the same state adults are in when they’re dreaming or sleeping) - we are
particularly receptive and impressionable to external stimuli.
What you experience in
this period leaves a lasting mark on your abundance thinking.
And since most of us spend this period under the watchful eyes of our parents,
these two people play a monumental role in shaping our lifelong approach to
work, money and personal growth.
But no parent is
perfect. So despite their best intentions, many of their flaws and limiting
beliefs about money are unknowingly passed onto us as children, often through
seemingly innocent beliefs and phrases like:
1. “Look at
that rich guy, I bet he screwed over a lot of people to get to where he is.”
Mr. Burns from The
Simpsons… Lex Luthor from Superman… every Bond villain that has
ever existed… Given pop culture’s fixation on wealthy, greedy and evil
villains, is it any wonder rich people have a bad reputation?
For those of us raised
in working or middle class families, it’s also likely that our parents weren’t
actually close friends with very many wealthy people… which would have kept
them reliant on the sweeping stereotype, and oblivious to the reality that many
wealthy people got to where they are because they provided real, honest value
to the people around them.
How it’s affecting
you: Your subconscious mind
erects an invisible barrier between you and rich people. You don’t want to hang
out with them, you feel uncomfortable around them, and you’re often suspicious
of them.
2. “Money is
hard to come by… it doesn’t grow on trees, ya know!”
You may have heard
your parents uttering this phrase (or something similar) each time they paid
for something or handed over your allowance - usually in an exhausted or
agitated tone.
Given that you were
too young at the time to earn your own money, a part of you probably accepted
their worldview as reality - instead of believing what many wealthy people have
known all their lives…
… that there’s more
than enough to go around, and often all you need to do to receive money is to open yourself to it.
How it’s affecting
you: You may feel a sense
of guilt or fear when you spend money, even when you’re spending it on
something that makes your life better. And because money is “hard to come by,”
you often equate acquiring it with unpleasant hard work.
3. “More money
just means more problems.”
For many parents, this
phrase is an excuse. A reason for them not to challenge themselves in ways that
would reward them with more money.
This phrase also leads
to the damaging belief that there is virtue in being broke, and that a person
is for some reason better off not earning more money, even if they can.
How it’s affecting
you: You find yourself
rejecting money and abundant opportunities because you subconsciously believe
wealth leads to hardship and false happiness.
4. “Money is
the root of all evil.”
Across time, this
biblical phrase has filled up an ocean’s worth of unfulfilled dreams and
unrealized potential - all because people choose to mistakenly attach morality
to a neutral tool like money.
If your parents told
you this, they most likely had a dysfunctional relationship with money - where
they needed it to survive, but also begrudged that need, instead of being at
peace and working in harmony with it.
How it’s affecting
you: You tend to be
suspicious of wealthy people, financial opportunities, and any situation that
could expose you to the “evils” of money.
5. “If you
want to be rich, you have to sacrifice your health, your family and friends,
your soul, or all of the above.”
Parents are people,
and people have fragile egos. And to protect these egos, they’ll often look at
people who have more money than them, and assume they sacrificed something
terrible to get there - hence “balancing” things out and justifying their own
lack of money.
But is this really
true? What about the wealthy people who really do have it all?
The ones who have the
freedom and resources to do what they want, with whom they want, and when they
want?
Why shouldn’t we
aspire to that too?
How it’s affecting
you: You tend to feel that
avoiding wealth and the risk that comes with it is a safer and better way to
live - even if it means saying no to potentially life-changing opportunities.
6. “Money can
never buy happiness.”
This phrase is yet
another defense mechanism often spoken by parents who don’t want to feel like
they’re “missing out” by not thinking abundantly,
and therefore attracting more money.
And while it’s true
that money itself can’t buy happiness, the peace of mind of not having toworry about
money makes it a whole lot easier to pursue and spend time on the things that domake
you happy.
How it’s affecting
you: You may have a
stubborn attitude towards money, never willing to go the extra mile to acquire
it because it’s just “not worth it.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE ABOVE POST?
Feel free to post your comments below.
Feel free to post your comments below.
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