3 ways I’ve transformed my relationship with money

My word of the year for 2021 was UPGRADE. And truly, it resonated in so many ways. Internally – I feel like an entirely new person. Externally, 2021 was a game-changing year financially.

I invested in myself and for next year – which is a major reason I was able to grow my income about 50%. I bought a car, paid down a bunch of debt, donated more than ever, and cashflowed some major unexpected expenses like paying for elective surgery for Spud, urgent surgery for one dog, and one very expensive fridge repair. I’ve also finally been able to take care of some long overdue things after some very tight years, like get a heat pump, dryer, replace the HRV filter, get the gutters cleaned and roof fixed. Yep, it was a spendy year.

And I have really started to anchor in a new relationship with money. How I think about it, feel about it, and what I do with it is so different these days.

I don’t resent spending money

This is a huge privilege, and it’s largely a result of #2 below. But I think it’s a mindset shift you can start practising at any point on your journey.

We all have to spend money to live. To accept, acknowledge, even embrace that fact where possible is way better for our emotional wellbeing. (Here’s one simple tip you can adopt and start implementing now!)

I really try to treat my relationship with money like I would a relationship with a person. I bring my best self if I can, my best energy, my gratitude. If I want money to do good things for me, to feel fun and pleasurable, I gotta do my part.

I focus on expansion, not contraction

I’ve always been a hustler, almost always had multiple streams of income going, although the exact sources and amounts have changed over time.

The past couple years have been some dark times. I should have tightened the belt to corset level, squeezed every last cent. And yes, I was frugal – always have been and remained so. But I expanded and I rose. It was the only way to get real traction and make real change. And so, I did.

I think less about it and trust all will be well

Again, dripping with privilege here. It’s easy to think less about money with a cash buffer in the bank, stuff on auto pay, etc. I have a track record of things always working out somehow, one way or another, even if not the way I thought. I have the evidence, and I have the receipts. So, it’s easier to stop the spiralling in its tracks than it used to be.

That said, I first started to embrace this way back when I was a very broke student. I distinctly remember how crappy I felt. The constant focus on lack of money, the endless stressing day in day out, did nothing for me. It didn’t change the numbers. I couldn’t DO anything about the situation. I was working as many hours as I could and living as cheaply as I could. It was just a phase of life. So I stopped reading the blogs and the forums. I stepped back from consuming all that content. And my mental health benefited hugely.

Dwelling TOO much on the negative that’s beyond your control takes a toll. And when your emotional state is not great already, assuming you’re doing all you can to improve your finances, why put yourself under more strain? You’re not burying your head at that point. You’re just showing yourself kindness.

These are all ongoing practices.

Some days they’re easier than others. I still have ups and downs, fears and struggles. But my baseline is so much higher now. That means feeling lighter, brighter, bigger, more hopeful. It’s a nice place to be.

And they’re just a few of the practices that make up Money Groove.

It’s a roadmap to finding your own financial groove: to face, heal and make peace with the past; make the most of what you have right now; and then shift your future path and trajectory. Whatever your goals, this is what will help you go further, faster, and have more fun along the way.

It starts with the inside out, so that whatever you DO from there actually sticks. At the cognitive level with your brain; at the deeper emotional levels. I’ve poured everything I know into this – all I’ve taken on from the world of self-development and growth as well as more therapeutic modalities.

It’s all synthesised and channeled here. The stuff that’s gotten me through hell and back. The beauty about creating a body of work is the process of crystallising your own learnings in the process. It’s healing. You surprise yourself with just how far you’ve come. And the same can be just as true for you.

Get all the info here.