Break Out Of Your Money Box

“Money is the opposite of the weather. Nobody talks about it, but everybody does something about it.” ~Rebecca Johnson

Just like a cat that was placed in a box while growing up, we all have existing constraints on the amount of money we believe we can have. A cat who grew up in a box will always maintain a smaller posture, but we as humans can change our constraints.

Sometimes our constraints come from our childhood, the attitudes of our family and friends, or just what we believe is possible for ourselves. Your money comfort zone affects both the amount of money you earn on a monthly basis, and your net worth.

Are You Stuck In Your Money Comfort Zone?

Perhaps you think that there is no invisible line stopping you from increasing the amount of money that you bring in on a yearly basis, or on the amount of money you have in your bank account. The following are some signs that might indicate you are living a little too comfortably within your money comfort zone.

Your net worth returns to an original starting point after receiving a lump sum, such as winning the lottery, getting a bonus, etc.
You start making more money, but you spend the extra and are right back where you started.
You have money making opportunities and ideas, but you lack follow-through.

My Personal Experience

Four years ago I started getting into goal setting, the law of attraction, and personal development. At that time I set an arbitrary goal to test if all of these new techniques actually worked. My goal was to have $48,000 in my bank account.

Depending on your financial situation $48,000 might seem like a lot or a little. When I set this goal, I had $5000 in my bank account, and was a full-time student. I reached my goal before graduating from University, through a string of events that I never could have envisioned. I got a scholarship worth $10,000, I created a few thousand dollars through passive income, and I made more money than I could have imagined through internships.

You might think that I should set a higher goal, like $500,000. But I’ve come to learn that you need to take this process is one step at a time. You need to allow yourself to become accustomed to the idea of having larger and larger amounts of money.

Money Exercises

First I’ll explain the exercises, and then I’ll explain why they work. Most of these exercises existed long before The Secret came out. Some of these exercises might seem a bit “woo-woo”, but you will understand why they work after you read the next section, so please keep an open mind.

Bank Account Snapshot

“If only God would give me some clear sign! Like making a large deposit in my name in a Swiss bank.” ~Woody Allen

Low-Tech Version: Use your monthly bank account statement or print out your online account balances. Then apply some whiteout to erase your bank balance, and write over it with your ideal bank account balance.
High-Tech Version: Take a snapshot of your online bank account statement. Then use image editing software like MS Paint, Skitch or Photoshop, and erase the total balance. Then replace it with your ideal bank balance! Print out your newly edited bank account statement.

Try to make it as realistic as possible, because the more realistic it looks the more likely you are to believe it. The more you believe that you have this amount in your bank account, the faster your subconscious will get to work making it a reality. Place the edited bank account statement in a prominent place and look at it every morning and every night.

Writing Checks

With more money comes more responsibility. Generally speaking, when you have larger sums of money, you need to circulate more of your money. You might write more checks for larger amounts. Remember to VOID all of the checks that you practice with.

To Yourself: I have experimented with writing large checks to myself. Somehow this technique didn’t do much for me. I did start receiving more checks in the mail, I just didn’t know if it was because of writing checks to myself. I don’t want to dismiss this method entirely, because I think it is helpful for you to see a check with your name on it, no matter what amount it is.
To Others: Writing checks to others is something you need to get comfortable with. You might practice writing checks with larger sums of money. Perhaps you might write a check to your favorite charity. You don’t need to actually send these checks out, just VOID them. The act of practicing to write them out is what will help you get more comfortable with handling larger sums of money.

Use Pretend Money

“The safest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it in your pocket.” ~Kin Hubbard

Practicing with pretend money is a great way to get used to the feelings associated with handling real money. The Prosperity Game allows you to receive a pretend check every day, for free. You must spend the money, and each day you receive a larger amount of pretend money. You need to keep spending the entire amount, since this helps you push through resistance associated with large sums of money.

Warning: Don’t spend more than you can truly afford. Please note that none of these exercises require you to spend any actual money. If you cannot pay your credit cards off entirely, then you cannot afford the item you want to buy. Please wait until your finances have caught up to your desires.

No Target, No Progress

Setting a “net worth goal” or a monthly income goal is important because you get what you measure. For example, trying to reward students who print their reports double-sided might backfire. When students accidentally print a report single-sided, they will simply throw out the single-sided one and reprint it double-sided to avoid being punished.

Similarly, in order to have more money you need to set a specific goal that cannot be sidestepped, like a vague request for “more money”. Either you want to see more money coming in every month, or you want to see it accumulating in your bank account. You might also want to see more money paying off your debts, or into investments.

Measuring money is straightforward because it is numeric, but you need to actually pick a specific number. You also need to specify where this money will reside, what it will look like, and what it will feel like.

Photo by HaoJan Chang

Your Mind Is Prepared To Make It Happen

When you set a specific money goal, your mind starts to make things happen to make the goal come true. Every day we are inspired and presented with moneymaking opportunities. Yet unless you are working towards a particular goal, you might not recognize that you need to take action.

A flood came and a man had to climb onto the roof of his house. As the waters rose a neighbor in a rowboat appeared, and told him to get in. “No,” replied the man on the roof, “the Lord will save me.” Then a firefighter appeared in a speedboat. “Climb in!” shouted the firefighter. “No,” replied the man on the roof, “The Lord will save me.” A helicopter appeared and the pilot shouted that he would lower a rope to the man on the roof. “No,” replied the man on the roof, “the Lord will save me.” Eventually the man drowned and went to heaven, where he asked God why He hadn’t helped him. “I sent a neighbor, a firefighter, and helicopter,” said God. “What more do you want?”

Conclusions

So what are you waiting for? Take any one of the exercises and take action immediately. If you feel motivated, try all three. You will definitely be feeling some resistance, and maybe a bit of self sabotage when trying to work on these issues. That’s normal, we all have issues with money. Just know that I’ll be right here along with you, sharing my own experiences, and looking forward to hearing about yours.

Comments

Ryan McLean

This is a great post. I have just read the secret and have set a goal to earn $42,000 online in 2009. I believe that by using the law of attraction I can achieve this success. This is a great post about getting out of your monetary comfort zone.
I like how you gave us ways we can achieve these goals. Thanks so much for this post

Nathalie Lussier

Good luck with your goals for 2009 Ryan. I'm glad this post gave some ideas on how to get yourself ready for the money to roll in. :) I know you will achieve your goals if you are consistent with your methods.

Ross

I really love the layout of this post, you present the material very well.

I've heard of this concept before, of course, and have tried to some degree to change my self-limiting barriers to money and income. But never consistently, or for any length of time. I'm certainly bookmarking this great post and trying again to change my current comfort zone. I'll be trying the methods you suggest and seeing how it goes. I'm really keen to get going with this, you've inspired me once again! Have a great week.

Nathalie Lussier

Way to go Ryan! I wish you luck on your goals for 2009, I know you can do it. :) I'm glad the post has given you some ideas on how to ready yourself.

Rosabel

I am practicing all the above and it's true that how powerful our mind works if it goes positive with the Universe. Thanks!

Nathalie Lussier

Rosabel, I'm very much impressed. Glad to hear you are already ahead of the game. :)

Stacey / Create a Balance

This is a powerful post as I begin to think about my 2009 financial goals. I'm going to work on building my bank account snapshot and just for fun I think I'll write (and void) an outrageous check today.

Nathalie Lussier

I think you'll have a blast writing some big checks and looking at your bank account snapshot. Thanks for stopping by Stacey! :)

Pj_Normz

They say the hardest million to make is the first million. After that, you know you can do it again, so it gets easier every time.

Excellent culmination of theories. This post is something you need to take one step at a time, for it is filled with many, many jewels of advice. I fully believe, as it is written, that money is a mindset. Once you believe, everything else will follow.

Nathalie Lussier

I love it Peter! You've definitely "got it!" :D

happinessisbetter

Awesome article! This is a timely post as I begin to think about my goals for 2009.

You went through some pretty interesting techniques. Similar to techniques used in Wishcraft, but with a financial twist. Great stuff!

Nathalie Lussier

Thanks Dustin. I know you will do well in 2009. ;)

Steve C | MyWifeQuitHerJob.com

I've tried the pretend money trick before but it has never worked for me. The problem is that I know it's pretend money so its not that big of a deal. For example, when I created a mock portfolio of stocks, I was investing left and right and doing pretty well. But when real money came into play, my emotions got the better of me. Excellent post!

Nathalie Lussier

I agree Steve, sometimes when it comes to real money we have a different reaction. That's why writing a check must feel realistic. I haven't done a lot of mock stock investing, but I can imagine the difference between a mock investment and a real one.

Carla

I tried The Prosperity Game a few times with surprisingly good results. My problem is consistency and falling back into the same negative thinking.

Great post and I will definitely bookmark (and Stumble) this one.

Nathalie Lussier

Thank you Carla. I've had great results with the Prosperity Game too. I found that some of the things I wrote have come eerily true, and sometimes I think I should have chosen my words more carefully. ;)

JohnRocheleau

And remember that wealth is relative.

Personal example: My Wife and myself are very wealthy. We live an abundant lifestyle. We want for nothing. But we do not have much money. Our bank accounts are small, but our spirits have volume that is yet to be filled. We "totally get" that life is infinite and nature is giving. We count our net worth by the sense of satisfaction we feel in interacting with nature and the people that we draw into our lives.

Somewhere along the line in all of that, we manage to acquire the necessary finances to make it happen with ease.

It is important to ask yourself two questions. First: How can I be truly who I am, in the best possible way? And second: How can I make that work financially? If you answer the first question, the solution to the second one will come of its own accord. It might mean that you will be fabulously wealthy in a financial way. The good part is: you will be wealthy first in spirit.

Best,
John

Nathalie Lussier

John, I think you need to write a guest post for my site, when you get the chance. ;) Although I focus a lot on how to get more money into your life in this post, I really think that living life in joy is the key. I really resonate with what you wrote here, and I loved how much you are at one with infinite riches and nature.

You are one awesome guy! :D

socialnetworkdesign

Excellent information. You get what you think about, whether you want it or not.

sandy
megastarmedia.com

Nathalie Lussier

You got it Sandy. Thanks for stopping by! :)

Daniel Richard

Loved the part when you encouraged us to go for achievements one step at a time (continually increasing) and not aim for a huge sum for a start.

Now what should I aim for by the end of this year? Hmm... :D

Nathalie Lussier

I think that's one thing that used to trip me up when I first started. I know that it is possible to set goals and achieve them, you just need to believe they are achievable. :)

Beth Whitman

Hmmm. You've got me thinking about saving for travels. Thanks for sharing your action plan!

Nathalie Lussier

That's awesome Beth! I think these techniques work for travels nicely, especially if traveling motivates you. ;)

Lola Fayemi

Great post, I'm new to this site and WILL be back.

The techniques you describe are great, simple and effective. I'm a big believer that when you set the goal, you will be pulled towards it by overcoming challenges that throw up the limits you need to clear which allow you to grow into the person that can achieve the goal.

In peace, love and success x x x

Lola