Creating an Abundance Mindset: How to Attract Success and Wealth

The start of the new year can feel like a clean slate, a chance for a fresh start. It can also come with a crushing pressure to get it all right. Most people find that when they look at their lives there’s no shortage of things they would like to change. Working out more, eating out less, being more social, staying in more, making more money, spending less money, and on and on it goes. Everyone feels the pressures of the new year and the same cycles that play out year after year pick up right where they left off. The first month people are on top of it. They’re in the gym, reading books, waking up early, drinking less and eating better. Somewhere along the way we lose steam and most of us are right back where we started by the February-March time. The reason we see this cycle play out again and again in society is because most of the time when we are implementing these new habits and ways of life, we are so focused on changing our actions that we forget the most important part of any behavior change, a shift in your mindset. If you try to change an old habit or implement a new one without doing any work on your mindset, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Over the course of this month I will be walking you through different mindset shifts that should accompany the most popular new year's resolutions. 

Let’s start with the resolution of making more money. This is what I like to call the ghost resolution because even though most people have it, not many voice it. It’s either unspoken or disguised in a phrase like “I’m looking to be promoted” or “We are saving up for our dream vacation to Greece”. These are people’s choice disguises because they are socially acceptable. It’s admirable to want to work harder to earn a promotion, it’s understandable to want to put aside some money for a well deserved trip. But what if you came out and said I want to make f*ck you money this year. That would quiet a room really quick. Because the narrative around money is so interestingly taboo in our society. It’s something everyone needs but no one is allowed to talk about. You’re allowed to complain about not having it but if you do have it, best to keep it quiet or you risk coming off spoiled and out of touch. This way of the world has always baffled me. Why on earth is it bad to say you want money, that you like money, hell that you love money? Who wouldn’t love money? Everyone loves what money can buy, how money makes them look, how it makes them feel, but you’re not allowed to say it.

When you make the decision that you want to make more money (spoken or unspoken) where you want to start is taking a look at your relationship with money. I’m talking about your mental and energetic relationship with money, not how much of it you have. The best indicator of where you are with money is how you feel when it’s mentioned. Do you get a pit in your stomach at the thought or mention of money? Do you avoid it in conversation? These things indicate that as much as it would make sense for you to love money, you actually kind of hate it. And why wouldn’t you? The way you see it, money is responsible for all of your problems. It leaves faster than it comes, it’s never there when you need it and even when it is there it’s never enough. You hate that money controls your life, you hate that it’s never there for you. Now think about it like this: if this is how you talk about money and think about money, why would money want to be around you? If you talked about a friend that way you probably wouldn’t see much of them either. The way you speak about money and think about money matters. The wealthiest people in the world have a great relationship with it. They never worry when they spend because they know more money will be right along to replace it. Money is energy, that’s why they call it a currency. It flows where it’s best conducted. Negative thoughts and energy about money block it from coming in. 

Healing your relationship with money will take time and consistency. It’s also the only sure way to start seeing more and more of it show up for you. The best and only place to start with this is the beginning. Get clear on what your current relationship with money is. This requires being brutally honest with yourself. How does money make you feel? How do you find yourself talking about money in everyday conversation? Do you always have this feeling of not having enough? Do you avoid looking at your bank account? How does checking your bank account feel in your body? Dive deep with this and get all the details of you and money’s love/hate relationship out on paper. Just writing all this out can be hugely therapeutic. The next step is to set intentions of how you plan to change the relationship. 

My first challenge to you would be to not complain about money for 30 days. That means not complaining about things being too expensive or your paycheck not being enough. It means not joining in when all of your friends are airing their grievances about the economy or gas prices. This will feel weird at first, maybe even unnatural. Note that you don’t have to go from zero to a hundred with this. You should be working on not talking badly about money but that doesn’t mean you need to start singing its praises yet either. Like I said, rewiring the way you think about money will take time and consistency. If you try to change it overnight, your subconscious will kick into full gear and fight every word and thought you try to change. Allow not saying anything negative to be plenty in the beginning. My second challenge is for you to start looking at other people’s wealth and success as proof that it is possible for you too and not as your competition. Instead of feeling less than or thinking “wow must be nice but that’s not everyone’s reality”, challenge yourself to see other people’s money and success as proof that yours is on its way. If you were sitting at a restaurant and the table next to you ordered just before you, when their food came out you wouldn’t be upset because they got their food. You would be excited because their food coming means that yours is coming soon. Start thinking that way in life and I promise your world will start to change. To take this challenge a step further, don’t just take notice of wealth and success when you see it but instead intentionally surround yourself with it. I’m writing this piece from the lobby of a michelin key hotel in my area. The hotel is a hotspot for local celebrities, entrepreneurs, and other successful people. The space is elevated and elegant. Purposefully putting yourself in these spaces makes the surroundings seem more natural and less unreachable. The third challenge to rounding out your journey to a new money mindset is to start adding affirmations to your routine. I know, everyone has a different opinion on affirmations. Some swear by them, others have sworn them off. Whatever your stance is on it, all I ask is that you give it a try. Start with one and slowly add if you can. It can be something as simple as “money is all around me”. Say that every day for 30 days and see it start to take hold. The more your mindset changes the more you will find yourself adding to these affirmations. “Money is all around me” becomes “ Money and abundance flow to me effortlessly through an endless supply of opportunities”. Here are some more money affirmations you can add to your repertoire to help in your friendship building with money: 

Affirmations for Attracting Abundance:

1. "The universe is always providing for me in expected and unexpected ways."

2. "I am a magnet for abundance, and prosperity is always drawn to me."

3. "I am open to receiving unlimited financial blessings."

4. "I trust that abundance is on its way to me right now."

5. "I attract wealth with my positive energy and aligned actions."

6. "I am aligned with the energy of abundance and prosperity."

7. "I am deserving of the financial rewards that come my way."

8. "I am grateful for the abundance that flows into my life every day."

9. "Money is a tool I use to support my dreams and help others."

10. "I release any blocks that prevent me from receiving abundance."

Affirmations for Self-Worth and Money:

1. "I am worthy of wealth, and I embrace my financial potential."

2. "My self-worth is not defined by the amount of money I have, but by the value I offer."

3. "I trust that I am always supported, financially and emotionally."

4. "I am deserving of financial freedom and the life I desire."

5. "I believe that wealth is a reflection of my value and the impact I make."

6. "I am proud of the financial progress I’ve made, and I celebrate my growth."

7. "I am worthy of receiving wealth, love, and success in abundance."

8. "The more I love myself, the more I attract wealth and abundance."

9. "I trust that the universe supports me in all my financial endeavors."

10. "I honor my journey and acknowledge how far I’ve come financially."

Finally, I want to leave you with this thought. If nothing in this piece resonated with you, maybe this will. If you’re feeling financially stuck, look at what value you’re adding to the world. In my experience, the people doing well financially are the ones adding the most value to the world and others lives. A good place to start when you’re feeling stuck is to see where and how you can add more value to the world around you. Start small with something like complimenting strangers, asking the cashier how their day is going. This then can become starting a blog to share ideas, making videos to share stories or advice, calling a friend you haven’t talked to in a while to see how they are. Look to add more value to your own experience as well and try a new spot for dinner, buy a new outfit, elevate your self care routine, have a cozy night in, or read a book. When you start to add value to your experience, abundance follows and flows. Never underestimate the small changes you can make to see your life really take off.