Note from Wil: This is a post from Matthew Kuehlhorn, “America‘s Mentor for Teens”. Matthew has made several awesome contributions to the discussion here at F4Y, and I would like to share some of his work to help get your mind working.
I like to include the writings and opinions of as many people as I can. If you want to
contribute to Finance For Youth: The Blog, send me an email: [email protected]
- “Money does not grow on trees.”
- “Money is the root of evil.”
- “Cold, hard cash.”
- “Money is hard to come by.”
Are any of these sayings you hear or tell yourself? What do they really mean to you?
Understanding our beliefs about money affects the ways we spend money and the ways we earn money. We can choose to believe anything—so why would we make it difficult?
Think of it this way:. If I thought that money were the root of all evil, and then all of a sudden I had a windfall of money land in my lap, what would I think about myself? Might I be evil? And if I were evil, would I then keep the money around or would I get rid of it to ensure that I were not evil?
I would probably get rid of it.
Beliefs can cause us to form poor spending habits. For me, I have been an emotional spender, and I used to tell myself that it did not really matter because I would always make more money. While this is true–I do always make more money–I really do not want to have to make more. So my thoughts and habits must change.
I now tell myself everything matters. And it does! The tiniest actions make huge waves in our lives. Having adopted this belief I now do not spend money spontaneously, and this allows me to save more. When I earn money, I am very thankful and appreciative for it. No longer is the money simply passing by. It is very important, and because I have a respect for it, it comes back!
Here is a practice for you. Fill in the blanks:
Money is _________________
Money is _________________
Money is _________________
Wealth is _________________
Rich people are ___________________
Rich people are ___________________
Are your answers negative or positive? Will your beliefs support earning and managing money well, or do they push money and success away from you?
I guarantee if you think rich people are greedy, you will not allow yourself to become rich. It is a law. And you can change your beliefs to gain the success you want.
How will you think differently about money and finances?
Matthew Kuehlhorn is America’s Mentor for Teens. He teaches the “Rules of the Road: Business, Finance, Life” to teenagers who want to gain the “keys” to their life.
He has created the Relationship Building System for Teens which is delivered in a 144-page illustrated novel titled, Bully, and he invites you to take advantage of incredible pricing and additional offers at his site www.RulesoftheRoadforTeens.com.
