When I first heard of the 10% account, I was living paycheck to paycheck. I was working hard just to pay my bills, never seeming to get ahead. I was left wondering, is this all that is possible for me when it comes to money?
Sure, I had been $60,000 in debt twice and gotten myself out of it both times but having means - having money never seemed to be a possibility for me.
Did you know that if you focus on paying your bills first, you'll always have bills to pay? Which makes bills the priority in your life. What if you became the priority in your life and paid yourself first?
Here are some tips on how to start prioritizing you and paying yourself first. What if it is way easier than you think? All you have to do is choose you first.
One of the very first things that has to happen is the demand for something different to show up. Many people reach a point where what is happening in their life and finances does not work for them anymore. That's when they are willing to do whatever it takes to change it.
For me, I was no longer comfortable living on the edge. I wanted more. I hated the stress that came from just enough money but never any extra. Which led to the day I made the demand that no matter what it takes I'm having a different reality with money.
It was about the same time that I was in a Foundation class and the facilitator said, "Since you have been $60,000 in debt twice and gotten yourself out of it, why don't you create $60,000 in the green?" Something in that question helped me see it really was possible.
Next put 10% away of every $1 you bring in. This can be income, it can be gifts, it can even be magic money like money you find. It is only $10 for every dollar.
Now the reason I said the demand had to come first is because there will be times, especially in the beginning, when you may feel it is impossible to do. When you already don't feel like you have enough money to live on. However, I will say this if you don't start to pay yourself first your survival will always be paramount.
It will be like a muscle you build, that gets stronger over time if you keep going.
Don't Ever Spend It
Now probably the more challenging of this practice is to never spend it. The 10% account is about having money. Not saving money for a rainy day. Not creating enough money to buy a house. It's about paying yourself first, making yourself a priority in your own life and having money.
I can't tell you how many people I have heard had something come up that they felt they had to spend their have account, myself included. And almost all of us had our finances get even worse when we did.
When the focus comes off making yourself the most valuable product in your own life it doesn't work out that well. However, the good news is you can get back on the horse if you get bucked off. Start over immediately and remember the demand of yourself and the ask of the Universe you had in the beginning.
The wonderful part about this process is it compounds over time. Maybe at first it doesn't seem like a lot. But as you keep doing it, eventually there will be more money than you have ever had before. And a little trick I learned from Access Consciousness founder Gary Douglas - when you get an equivalent of 6 months of your monthly expenses in your account you will never worry about money again. Can you imagine what that would be like?
Increase Receiving
The next step is to increase your receiving and your comfort level with money. A lot of us start to get uncomfortable with a lot of money. Especially if we have not had any before. This is when your beliefs about money can come to the forefront. Like money is the root of all evil, rich people are mean, etc.
For me, I was afraid of being judged. I had seen a lot of people who had a lot of money act superior and mean to people who did not have any money.
Further counsel that can give you a different perspective is this - who you are now will just be expanded when you have a lot of money. Which means if you are kind and generous now, you will be more so when you are wealthy. Money just exacerbates who you already are.
Start Paying Yourself First!
With paying yourself first and putting away 10% of everything you would surpass any of your current gains. In other words, when you become the most valuable product in your own life you will be wealthy beyond measure! Is today the day to start?
This guest post was authored by Venus Castleberg
Ms. Career Girl was started in 2008 to help ambitious young professional women figure out who they are, what they want and how to get it.
