Psychology of Money

[PeterUK]

For BTC members only (Please do not move this thread to public forum)

The concepts here were taught at my Trading Seminar but can be very useful in general.

From Dr Jane Cox (new www.levels.co.uk)

Is your Subconscious Mind keeping you Broke?

Do you think it is possible to make more money than you’re currently making? Do you know other people in your field, maybe with less talent and ability than you, regularly banking more money and living a far better lifestyle than you could possibly hope to afford? While it seems grossly unfair, actually, your own subconscious mind could be working against you, keeping you in the very financial rut you’re so desperate to escape!

One of our biggest challenges is our emotional relationship with money. To cut a long story short, for most people, it’s a lousy relationship! We tend to have three main emotions attached to money. By far the biggest one is fear, followed by greed, and backed up by guilt. As you can imagine, none of these are good emotions to have attached to your money, but for this article, we’ll concentrate on fear.

Fear of money will never make you money

We all have fear attached to money, and the challenge is that our fear can take many different forms. Some people are scared of having money; others, scared of not having money. Most are scared of not having enough money, or of their source of money drying up. Others may be scared of spending money, or perhaps they fear that money they feel should belong to them will end up belonging to someone else. No matter what form your fear takes, one thing is certain: Fear of money, does not make you money. Ever.

Look at how we react to things we fear: We’re likely to do one of three things – lock up the very thing we fear behind bars so that it can’t hurt us; ignore it, and hope the problem goes away; or run like hell in the opposite direction! Bizarre as it may sound, we often do all three of these things with our money. We’ll explore each of these “transgressions” in future articles, but let’s examine one of the ways our mind takes control of our relationship with our finances.

One of the things we do is we put ceilings on the amount of money that we think we’re capable of making. And, just for the record, you’re the only one that is putting that ceiling in place! There is plenty of money to go around, so why does this happen? And where did your sense of financial value come from? Over years of working with people, and delving into their relationship with money, I know for a fact that, if I ask people how much money they’re worth every year, they will have a number. In fact, they have two numbers: Their ideal value per year, and their real value per year. And of course this personal value perception is different for everyone. Right now, you probably have your numbers in your head too! So where do your values come from?

Where did you get your financial value?

Bear with me while I tell you a little story, and maybe it’ll ring some bells!

Once upon a time, many years ago, a company had a job vacancy. And of course, that job vacancy had a value attached to it, which was the salary they were willing to pay for that job to be done each month. Quite coincidentally, you happened to be looking for a job at the same time, and one day you found yourself being interviewed for that position. They decided that they liked what they saw, and offered you the job. You grabbed it with both hands, and the deal was sealed.

You then went on to do that job, perhaps for several years. You learned and grew in that job, met interesting people, improved in skills and confidence, until one day, you decided the time had come to move on to another challenge. So you decided to resign. You walked away from the job, but what you forgot to do was to walk away from the value of the job. In fact, you took it with you as a souvenir! It was like wearing a comfortable, well-worn pair of pyjamas.

What you probably did was go back into the job-seekers market, wearing those comfy pyjamas, and without realising it, you went about looking to work for another company where you could go to work, wearing those same pyjamas. Perhaps you were looking for an increase in salary, but usually we only expect a few thousand pounds a year increase at most, so effectively what you’re looking for is enough money to buy some matching bedsocks, but that was it. Without consciously realising it, you were dressing up that same pair of pyjamas, but you were still wearing them!

This of course is what the problem is for many people. Without consciously realising it, most people wear that same set of pyjamas for the rest of their lives, just attaching a few bells and whistles, but effectively hanging on to their supposed value all through their working life.

That value was never yours to own. It was only ever the value that company put on that piece of work.

Ask yourself a question: Was that value ever your personal value? No – of course it wasn’t! It was only ever the value that company put on that piece of work that needed to be done all those years ago. Even when you were doing that job, that value never belonged to you. And if it didn’t belong to you then, it certainly doesn’t belong to you now! So do yourself a favour. Put down that value. Give that company back your worn old pair of pyjamas. There is no reason why your entire financial path should be dictated by a salary you deemed fit to take some time in your past.

The thing is for many people, that salary forms part of a comfort zone. It is easy to keep taking on the type of job that you could do with ease. A job that doesn’t push you too far, or expect too much from you. We even feel comfortable operating within certain income bands. When that income band originally becomes your comfort zone, it’s often enough money to more-or-less muddle through a month. But of course as you mature, very often your expense base expands to include things like children, or a bigger home, or more credit cards. For most, their comfort zone is no longer such a comfortable place to be. In fact for many people their “comfort zone” is now an actively uncomfortable place to be! This is where courage comes into play. Do you have the courage to expand your horizons and look for new, better or more flexible opportunities?

Your financial possibilities are much wider than you’ve allowed yourself to imagine, and over the coming months we will explore different ways in which you have held yourself captive, and how you can set about freeing yourself up, and attracting more money into your life.

[PeterUK]

Money on the mind

Can a rich mind prevent a poor purse? Dr Jane Cox gives us the lowdown on the psychology of money...

“Our brains hold the knowledge and experience that we have acquired over our lifetimes, and will impact on our attitudes and approaches to everything that we do and feel,” says international human behavioural specialist and peak performance expert Dr Jane Cox.

“Over the years, many of us have developed an attitude towards money, shaped by our experiences. Maybe you were brought up in a home where ‘money doesn’t grow on trees’? Perhaps you watched your parents spend money like water on non-essentials, but battle to pay the rent every month? Your brain will have tucked these experiences into your subconscious mind, and your relationship with money will be impacted accordingly.

“My interest in the relationship between our mind and our money started really early on in my working life,” continues Jane. “I remember the huge difference in attitudes of people towards their income.

“Some complacently accepted what they earned as being ‘their due’, and would often take pride in cutting back and doing without. Others forged forward, believing that their ability to work their way up the salary ladder, or increase their income considerably if they were self-employed, was limitless. But why did these people have such different approaches to their finances?”

Financial thoughts

“I do think for all of us there are money-creation opportunities around us,” explains Jane. “Some people recognise the good opportunities and can distinguish them from the bad, and most importantly, know how to make the opportunities turn into reality.

“Others are so busy concentrating on fire-fighting that they don’t stop long enough to be able to see ways of changing their financial reality. Do you have the ability to step outside of your day-to-day reality and focus on the bigger picture?

“There are so many causes of why our subconscious mind can work with us – or against us – when it comes to money matters. Some people have developed the confidence over the years, usually from watching others close to them or from their own previous work, that they can make money – and so when they go into new ventures they have an unwavering belief that they can make it work for them.

“Usually those that ‘attract’ money are less emotional about money. They see it as a tool to utilise in the building of their wealth and in the creation of opportunity.

“For many people, however, their default belief is that things will never work out for them. They feel that they have somehow been singled out for a hard life! The reality is that for many of these people, they literally feel trapped, and unable to even know how to make changes.

“In order to function easily in our relatively complex lives, we create habitual behaviour patterns,” continues Jane. “Some are good, and some are bad. Everything from good habits, like taking a shower and brushing our teeth when we get out of bed, to bad habits, like procrastination, become embedded behaviour patterns. The habit of poverty mentality is a coping mechanism. Your brain has subconsciously decided it’s easier to accept being broke, than deal with the disappointment of trying to make money and failing.”

Never ending spending

Even though we can clearly see our bank accounts dwindling, many of us spend more than necessary. Jane explains...

“Usually, excessive spending is compensation for other areas in our lives that we feel are letting us down,” she says. “For some people, surrounding themselves with ‘stuff’ gives a feeling of control over their life. Our belongings don’t let us down like people may let us down. Of course what happens then is the act of buying something new becomes our high point in our lives, but then we feel guilty, so that positive feeling dissipates quickly.

“The only way we can experience it again, is to make the next purchase. Hence the reason so many people have bags of stuff that they’ve bought, often without really being able to afford it, that they’ve never actually used.”

Win some, lose some

And, it’s not unusual for people who experience ‘lucky’ windfalls to lose it quickly...

“There are two aspects of wealth creation,” says Jane. “The first is knowing how to make money, and the second is knowing how to manage money.

“If you’ve become accustomed to having very little, then a big windfall may seem limitless. But, of course, it can be spent just as easily and as quickly as a little amount of money. If you don’t have the skill set to replace a finite amount of money, even if it’s a big amount, it will tend to be depleted quickly.”

Mind matters

Jane firmly believes that any one of us can attract more money by changing the way we think and our approach to it.

“If we are open to opportunities, and can think objectively and relatively unemotionally about how we can use those opportunities, money can be made,” she explains.

“The biggest challenge for many people is lethargy and laziness. Money is not going to flow through your front door without you putting in the effort to make it happen. Nobody else is going to do it for you.

“Setting a goal is great, but it is even more important to set up the steps we need to achieve along the journey towards that goal,” she continues. “We then need to concentrate on step one only. When the goal seems too big, it seems difficult to believe it can ever be achieved.

“When it comes to money, a fairly fundamental goal would be to create more income than we need to spend, and do this continuously. The surplus accumulates quickly. It sounds obvious but most people spend more than they earn as a matter of course.”

Invest in your children

Unfortunately, it’s not unusual for our own money mindset to affect our children’s relationship with money in their own lives.

“We are, as a general rule, setting up the next generation for financial disaster,” says Jane. “For example, Christmas is a financial nightmare for many families. So often, kids are brought up getting everything they want as soon as they want it. We do not love our children more by giving them everything they want. In fact, we love our kids by showing them instead that there are rules to the making of, and the spending of, money.

“We need to teach our children that there is all the money they could ever want out there and available to them, but it needs to be earned through common sense, discipline, hard work, and lateral thinking.

“We need as a matter of urgency in this country to move people of all ages away from our current culture of ‘you owe me’ to one of ‘I owe the world my talents and expertise’.

“I worked with a man who advised his daughter to get into the habit of saving 10% of her salary every month from her very first paycheque. Her friends may have had more money to spend on evenings out as teenagers, but when she bought her first house for cash at 24, they were quick to feel envious! Set an example by getting into the habit of spending less than you earn, and always pay your bills first, and have fun second.”

Save and smile

So, can money buy happiness?

“Money can’t buy happiness, but it sure can buy us an enormous reduction in our stress levels, and that is definitely going to hugely improve our quality of life and our health generally,” concludes Jane. “If we have money, we can look at doing work that we love rather than feeling trapped into doing work we resent.”

More about Dr Jane

An international human behavioural specialist and peak performance expert, Dr Jane Cox specialises in life transformation and runs ‘life turnaround programmes’ for individuals and businesses.

Particularly popular are her Psychology of Wealth workshops which focus on the connection between money and the mind. Respected and utilised by many top wealth creation experts, Dr Jane’s advice is always in high demand and has helped change the lives of thousands of people across the world.

For more information about Dr Jane’s work visit her website at www.newlevels.co.uk, follow her on Twitter @lifeguidedrjane or contact her business manager, Keith Oram, by email, keith@newlevels.co.uk.

Dr Jane’s top ‘money attracting’ tips...

√ Change your thoughts and you change your world. Realise that you have as much ability to make money as anyone else.

√ Keep your mind open for opportunity. Read, listen, observe, and take note of where business gaps exist, or opportunities for investment may be found.

√ Step outside of your comfort zone.

√ Be prepared to put in the work to make the money.

√ Recognise that money is a tool, and tools are there to be used.

√ When you lose your fear of money, money loses its fear of you.

√ You might not feel able to make £100,000, but you could well make £100 one thousand times. It’s the same thing.

√ Nobody owes you anything. Stop expecting, and start doing.

√ Get into the habit of spending less money than you make.

√ Know your strengths and abilities. They are worth a lot of money to you.

√ Keep learning. The more you educate your mind, the more knowledge you have to share and utilise.

√ Concentrate on what you can do, not on what you can’t do. Focusing on our faults costs us opportunity.

√ Never ignore your financial reality. Ignoring a problem leaves the problem space to grow.

√ Positive thinking is great. But it doesn’t work without positive action too!

[PeterUK]

Ten top tips for using your mind to attract money

1. Change your thoughts and you change your world. Realise that you have as much ability to make money as anyone else.

2. Keep your mind open for opportunity. Read, listen, observe, and take note of where business gaps exist, or opportunities for investment may be found.

3. Step outside of your comfort zone.

4. Be prepared to put in the work to make the money.

5. Recognise that money is a tool, and tools are there to be used.

6. When you lose your fear of money, money loses its fear of you.

7. You might not feel able to make a million, but you could well make £100 one thousand times. It’s the same thing.

8. Get into the habit of spending less money than you make.

9. Know your strengths and abilities. They are worth a lot of money to you.

10. Keep learning. The more you educate your mind, the more knowledge you have to share and utilise.

Ten top tips to stop your sub-conscious costing you money

1. Spending money will not make you feel better about yourself long term.

2. Inertia and laziness are not the path to riches!

3. Nobody owes you anything. Stop expecting, and start doing.

4. You cannot save yourself out of debt.

5. When you first start out, you’ll figure out you don’t need your daily cup of £5 cup of coffee to function. You’ll function better with that £100 a month available in your account.

6. Never ignore your financial reality. Ignoring a problem leaves the problem space to grow, and disempowers your mind from having the opportunity to fix it.

7. Lose your fear and find your courage.

8. If your favourite pastime is moaning about your life, you’re highly unlikely to want to improve it!

9. Concentrate on what you can do, not on what you can’t do. Focusing on our faults costs us opportunity.

10. Positive thinking is great. But it doesn’t work without positive action too!

[PeterUK]

What does the psychology of money mean?

Our brains hold the knowledge and experience that we have acquired over our lifetimes, and will impact on our attitudes and approaches to everything that we do and feel. Over the years, many of us have developed an attitude towards money, shaped by our experience with money. If you were brought up in a home where “money doesn’t grow on trees”, or “the poor will inherit the earth”. If you watched your parents spend money like water on non-essentials, but battle to pay the rent every month, your brain will have tucked these experiences into your subconscious mind, and your relationship with money will be impacted accordingly.

When did you first become interested in the relationship between money and the mind?

Why?

My interest in the relationship between our mind and our money started really early on in my working life. I remember the huge difference in attitudes of people towards their income. Some complacently accepted what they earned as being “their due”, and would often take pride in cutting back and doing without. Others forged forward, believing that their ability to work their way up the salary ladder, or increase their income considerably if they were self-employed, was limitless. Why did these people have such different approaches to their finances?

Why do some people attract money?

I do think for all of us there are money-creation opportunities around us. Some people recognise the good opportunities and can distinguish them from the bad, and most importantly, know how to make the opportunities turn into reality. Others are so busy concentrating on fire-fighting that they don’t stop long enough to be able to see ways of changing their financial reality. Do you have the ability to step outside of your day to day reality and focus on the bigger picture?

In what ways does our subconscious affect this?

There are so many causes of why our subconscious mind can work with us or against us when it comes to money matters. Some have developed the confidence over the years, usually from watching others close to them, or their own previous work, that they can make money, and so when they go into new ventures they have an unwavering belief that they can make it work for them. Usually those that “attract” money are less emotional about money. They see it as a tool to utilise in the building of their wealth and in the creation of opportunity.

Why do some people repel money?

For many people, their default belief is that things will never work out for them. They feel that they have somehow been singled out for a hard life! The reality is that for many of these people, they literally feel trapped, and unable to even know how to make changes. For others, it boils down to sheer laziness or lack of personal initiative. Is having enough money worth the effort it will take to make it?

In what ways does our subconscious affect this?

In order to function easily in our relatively complex lives, we create habitual behaviour patterns. Some are good, and some are bad. Everything from good habits, like taking a shower and brushing our teeth when we get out of bed, to bad habits, like procrastination, become embedded behaviour patterns. The habit of a poverty mentality is a coping mechanism. Your brain has subconsciously decided it’s easier to accept being broke, then deal with the disappointment of trying to make money and failing.

Why do some of us spend more than necessary?

Usually, excessive spending is compensation for other areas in our lives that we feel are letting us down. For some people, surrounding themselves with “stuff” gives us a feeling of control over our lives. Our belongings don’t let us down like people may let us down. Of course what happens then is the act of buying something new becomes our high point in our lives, but then we feel guilty, so that positive feeling dissipates quickly. The only way we can experience it again, is to make the next purchase. Hence the reason so many people have bags of stuff that they’ve bought, often without really being able to afford it, that they’ve never actually used.

Why do people who have windfalls seem to lose it quickly?

There are two aspects of wealth creation. The first is knowing how to make money, and the second is knowing how to manage money. If you’ve become accustomed to having very little, then a big windfall may seem limitless. But of course it can be spent just as easily and as quickly as a little amount of money. If you don’t have the skill set to replace a finite amount of money, even if it’s a big amount, it will tend to be depleted quickly.

How can we attract more money?

Any of us can attract more money by changing our approach to money. If we are open to opportunities, and can think objectively and relatively unemotionally about how we can use those opportunities, money can be made. The biggest challenge for many people is lethargy and laziness. Money is not going to flow through your front door without you putting in the effort to make it happen. Nobody else is going to do it for you!

What goals should we be setting ourselves?

Setting a goal is great, but it is even more important to set up the steps we need to achieve along the journey towards that goal. We then need to concentrate on step one only. When the goal seems too big, it seems difficult to believe it can ever be achieved. When it comes to money, a fairly fundamental goal would be to create more income then we need to spend, and do this continuously. The surplus accumulates quickly. It sounds obvious but most people spend more than they earn as a matter of course.

Does saving money work?

Saving money is an interesting concept. For the most part, the interest paid on investments is lower than the increase in the cost of living, so the money in those accounts just devalues. People are worried about the stability of investing in physical assets like property, or gold. But the fact is we do need to have a good solid pot of money accumulated if we are ever looking at having a decent lifestyle when we retire. There are many ways in which we can get our money to work with us, but usually, the higher the potential return, the higher the risk too.

How can we manage our cash flow healthily?

I worked with a man who advised his daughter to get into the habit of saving 10% of her salary every month from her very first paycheck. Her friends may have had more money to spend on evenings out as teenagers, but when she bought her first house for cash at 24, they were quick to feel envious! Get into the habit of spending less than you earn, and always pay your bills first, and have fun second.

How does our relationship with money affect our children?

We are as a general rule setting up the next generation for financial disaster. For example, Christmas is a financial nightmare for many families. So often, kids are brought up getting everything they want, as soon as they want it. We do not love our children more by giving them everything they want. In fact, we love our kids by showing them instead that there are rules to the making of and the spending of money.

What should we be teaching our children about money?

We need to teach our children that there is all the money they could ever want out there and available to them, but it needs to be earned through common sense, discipline, hard work, and lateral thinking. We need as a matter of urgency in this country to move people of all ages away from our current culture of “you owe me” to one of “I owe the world my talents and expertise”. The welfare system has destroyed our appreciation and respect of money, and that damage has got to be reversed urgently.

Can money buy happiness?

Money can’t buy happiness, but it sure as hell can buy us a enormous reduction in our stress levels, and that is definitely going to hugely improve our quality of life and our health generally! If we have money, we can look at doing work that we love rather than feeling trapped into doing work we resent.

How can people find out more about the psychology of money?

I run life turnaround programmes for both individuals and for businesses, and because of the impact money has on our lives, wealth mindset is an intrinsic part of most of the courses that I run. Additionally I do run specialised Psychology of Wealth courses too. My website is www.newlevels.co.uk, and my twitter account is @lifeguidedrjane. My business manager Keith Oram can be contacted via his email, keith@newlevels.co.uk.

[PeterUK]

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All the best!

Peter