You’re Probably Right

“I’ll never be able to buy a house.”

You’re right.

“I’m bad with money.”

You’re right.

When people believe they're "bad with money," they often act in ways that reinforce that belief. They make impulsive purchases, avoid budgeting, and ignore their finances as much as possible. It’s a self-fulfilling prophesy. Breaking this cycle starts with challenging these limiting beliefs.

Our beliefs about money shape our behavior with money.

Conversely, if someone believes it is possible to buy a house, or retire early, or take their family on a nice vacation, their behavior changes. They are more likely to say “no” to shallow desires, track their expenses, and become intentional about their goals.

By victimizing our situation, we are giving up. We pretend there is nothing we can do to better the situation. And years later, we find ourselves bitter and in the same place as before.

We see this play out all the time. People lose weight because they are no longer willing to accept being overweight. People start businesses because they are no longer willing to accept a poor work environment. And people get out of debt, start investing, and build wealth because they no longer accept the status quo.

People change their habits and behavior every day. But that change cannot occur until they decide to stop accepting damaging beliefs and begin to accept optimistic beliefs. By victimizing our situation, we are giving up. We pretend there is nothing we can do to better the situation. And years later, we find ourselves bitter and in the same place as before.

If you find yourself in this scenario, you aren’t alone. I was once a victim of my financial circumstances. I was overwhelmed, I stopped fighting, and I decided to have a “woe is me” mentality. It was all out of my control. Except that it wasn’t — I just didn’t accept that I could do something about it.

That path led me to a year of wallowing in my misfortune, cost me thousands of dollars, and left me bitter.

No matter how dire your financial circumstances, do not allow yourself to accept what isn’t true. There is almost always a way.

But before you can make progress, you have to be honest with yourself about your beliefs.

So what beliefs have you accepted? Have you accepted that you’re bad with money? That the hole is too deep to climb out of? That you can’t achieve your goals?

Or are you willing to challenge that belief and do something about it?