Fear of money

Fear Of Money

Money is a difficult topic to talk about. Not because money is inherently bad, but because money is an instant mark by which we compare ourselves to others. To the few, money is viewed as a tool to get what they desire. To the masses, money is a scarce resource that must be guarded. Most have a fear of money, consciously or unconsciously.

The Have And The Have Nots

When addressing money, there are major differences between the wealthy and those without wealth. The wealthy sees money as a tool that is to be used. The more money they have access to, the more they can bend the world to their desires. 

Consequences Of Having A Fear Of Money

While the wealthy view money as a tool, those without wealth fear money. Yes, they fear money. Many believe in the concept of “more money more problem.” Further, the masses have an unhealthy fear of not having money.  

More Money More Problems

Why is there a belief in “more money more problems.” Have you ever heard the statement: “money is the root of all evil.” Now, think about who you have heard this from. Was the statement made by someone with wealth or from someone without wealth or new to wealth? I can guarantee that you have not heard the above statement from a wealthy individual.

Let’s dig in. Note that 1 Timothy 6:10 actually reads, “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.”  Even without historical context, it is clear that the bible is not saying that money is the root of all evil. Instead, it is saying that a love of money and not money it self, is the root of  all kinds of evil. This one misquoted phrase and other similar phrases have consciously and unconsciously ruined our relationship with money.

With this miss quoted text, many view money as not being good and subconsciously very bad. How can you make and grow your money when you believe that money is the root of all evil? 

Change your relationship with money. Money is a tool that can be used, in some cases for good and in other cases for evil. As such, remove the above and similar phrases from your vocabulary and build wealth.

The Fear Of Not Having Money

While a healthy fear of not having money is a good motivator, an unhealthy fear of not having money is a problem. Why is this a problem? The fear of not having money can lead to a scarcity mindset. The belief that money is a limited resource, it is not. 

Further, acting out of an unhealthy fear of not having money can lead to not allowing yourself to take risk to grow yourself or your business. An unhealthy fear of not having money can lead to lack of confidence and not standing up for yourself personally and/or professionally. 

In this regard, the fear of not having money leads to an employee mindset. A mindset of working for someone else for a secure salary and not rocking the boat. This mindset is a danger to financial independence. 

Let’s dig into the above statement with regard to the security of a salary position. A salary position is not a secure income source. With a salary position, you are giving your boss complete control over your financial life. The classical, putting all your eggs in one basket. Further, most employees are at-will employees and as such your company can fire you for any reason. Does that sound secure to you?

Embrace money and use money as a tool. Instead of  having one salary position, invest in yourself and secure multiple income streams. Stop fearing not having money and take back control of your financial life from your boss.

Conclusion

Money is a difficult topic to talk about. Not because money is inherently bad, but because money is an instant mark by which we compare ourselves to others. To the few, money is viewed as a tool to get what they desire. To the masses, money is a scarce resource that must be guarded. Most have a conscious or unconscious fear of money. Get over the fear of money, have confidence in yourself and take calculated risk and journey to financial independence.

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Money Mindset

Money Mindset

Money & Human Nature

When we have painful decisions, it is only normal to delay. It is human nature. For you to journey to financial independence, you must change your money mindset. You must be aware of your default reaction and consciously make a change. Change how money decisions are made.

Think of your last painful or difficult decision. Whether it was a decision that would have resulted in conflict or one that would have caused you to make a sacrifice, it is only natural for you to delay. Our first reflexive action is to avoid making difficult decisions. This reflexive action typically results in employing a delay tactic where other decisions are made but not the ultimate decision. We make difficult decisions only when we must make the decision.

With money decisions, the same occurs. The science behind it all is undeniable. Let us use the example of shopping vs saving. 

Shopping

The neurotransmitter dopamine surges when you are considering buying something new. This dopamine surge is a result of purchasing the new item and the anticipation of getting that new item immediately. With online shopping, the dopamine surge is on another level. For online shoppers, there is the joy of making the purchase, the anticipation of getting the new item, the built up anticipation of receiving that item and receiving that item in the mail. Shoppers are therefore more excited when their online purchases arrive in the mail than when they buy things in store. As such, online shopping can be as exciting or more exciting as in store shopping.

As you can guess, the retail industry is acutely aware of this effect and take the necessary steps to exploit our biology.

Saving

When saving for a long term goal or financial independence, we do have some dopamine release related to attaining that financial target. However, saving falls into the category of delayed gratification. For delayed gratification,  dopamine signaling declines as the delay to the large reward increases. As such, the thought and planing related to having financial independence is gratifying. However, because of the long time period  between the thought of financial independence and having actual finical independence, we typically do not carry through on our plans. 

This is why we spend so easily but find it so difficult to save. We all know that we should save and invest for the future, but very few do.

Saving for the long term is counter to our biology.

Remedy

Change Your Money Mindset

In view of our natural reaction to delayed gratification, to achieve financial independence, we must consciously realize our default actions and change our mindset.

Based on the science of our reward system, we are more likely to succeed on our journey to financial independence if we have a long term goal (financial independence), intermediate goals, but also short term goals. The short term, intermediate and long term goals allow for short term, intermediate and long term dopamine fueled rewards.

Conclusion

When we have painful decisions, it is only normal to delay. It is human nature.

For you to journey to financial independence, you must change your money mindset. For a more successful financial journey, create and achieve your short term and intermediate goals on your journey to financial independence.

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