3 Money Beliefs That Will Destroy Your Life Worried: Image source

Much of our lives revolve around money. In a sense, money does make the world go round. We rely on money to get things done and fulfil our basic needs each day. 

As a result, money can be the source of a lot of our worries and problems. A lack of money can cause a high level of stress and lead to negative thoughts. 

The set of beliefs that we have about money can either make things better or worse.  When we have disempowering beliefs, it’s difficult to see opportunities and possibilities since we’re so focused on the negative. E.g. I can’t, I don’t, I’m never going to, It’s hard. 

These negative thoughts lead to negative feelings, which then go on to impact every other aspect of our lives. 

I believe that having the right mindset can change the way that we perceive and experience life. Here are three money beliefs that can hold you back from living a fulfilled life, and ways that you can shift your perspective on them.  

Belief #1: If you work harder, you’ll be able to earn more 

This might’ve been true back in the day. But nowadays, with the possibilities that the internet affords, more and more people are finding ways to work less and earn more. Your income no longer needs to be tied to the amount of hours you put in. 

Instead of working harder, you can work smarter. It’s like the difference between trying to chop down trees with a dull vs. sharpened axe. Spend some time sharpening your axe (upfront effort), and you’ll be able to get the job done much faster. 

Internet entrepreneurs who sell a product that doesn’t require a huge ongoing time commitment can work fewer hours and might eventually even earn more than salaried employees. The internet enables you to reach customers at scale from all over the world and earn money while you sleep. 

One way to start selling something online without needing to spend much money upfront is teaching something that you know. 

For example, you can use platforms like Skillshare or Udemy to create an online course. You create it once, and each time someone enrols, you get paid!  

Of course, this will require some time and effort upfront, but once it’s done, the money will keep coming in without you having to lift a finger. And this is just ONE potential business idea. A quick Google will enable you to find many, many more. 

Nevertheless, if you think that the internet entrepreneur thing is not for you, there are still ways that you can increase your income potential without working harder. 

You can learn some new skills online through the very same platforms that I just mentioned (+ many more) and increase your value to an employer. If you’re a Singaporean over the age of 25, you can also make use of your SkillsFuture credit. 

Instead of waiting and hoping for a promotion, you can make the leap to a new field with skills that are in demand, e.g. digital marketing, AI/machine learning, data analytics. 

Of course, don’t learn something for the sake of learning it — ideally, you’d actually have some interest in it! Otherwise, it’ll be very painful and it won’t be a career that you’ll enjoy. 

Belief #2: It’s not possible to become wealthy without a good family background 

It’s true that being from a well-off family provides you with many opportunities that might not be available to others. You can move in the right social circles, get access to a good education and have more financial resources at your disposal. 

But there are many examples of people who became wealthy despite not growing up with a valuable network, getting a prestigious education or having money readily available. 

You shouldn’t let your upbringing or circumstances hold you back, nor complain about all the entitled people who seem to have an easy life because they got handed a silver spoon. 

Daymond John from Shark Tank was raised by a single mom in a rough neighbourhood and is dyslexic. He’s now got an estimated net worth of $300 million. 

He didn’t win the lottery or have it easy. He started a business called FUBU from the ground up, and their “office” was his mother’s house. He even closed the business three times from 1989-1992 because he ran out of capital. 

You might think, “oh sure, he’s probably one of those rare lucky people,” but there are also quite a few (largely unfamiliar) examples of Asian entrepreneurs going from rags to riches. 

Just because these people are not famous in mainstream media and their stories are not well-known, it doesn’t mean that they don’t exist. There are probably many more people out there who haven’t had a story written about them. You could become one of them. 

Belief #3: Money can buy happiness 

Money can buy a lot of things. And it can definitely help you solve a lot of problems. But it can’t buy happiness, because that’s something that can only be achieved internally. 

Our minds are programmed to keep wanting something new, something better, something different. We build up a sense of excitement and believe that getting X thing will bring us long-lasting happiness. 

We may be really happy for a moment, but the feeling will soon pass and we’ll be back to wanting something else to experience the same high. 

Having a good meal — that’s great in the moment, but forgotten in a few hours. 

Getting a nice bag/car/house/[insert other material thing here] — that’s great for a while, and then you get used to it. What’s next? 

And for the people who want the money not for the high of consumption, but for the high you get by showing off your status, when will it ever be enough? 

The truth is, we don’t end up happier after fulfilling our wants. 

We just end up wanting more. 

It’s funny, though, because our happiness actually comes from the absence of wanting. When we’ve gotten that new [insert material thing here], for a moment we don’t want anything else. But once our mind gets bored, it looks for something else to focus on… 

To find more lasting happiness and fulfilment, we should work towards things that also benefit others, or things that have a sense of profound importance to us (e.g. things we want to do before we die).  

Having a daily gratitude practice is also beneficial to remind us of everything that we already have and lessen our urge to have more.

Change your beliefs, change your life

We always act in accordance with our beliefs. That’s why a simple mindset shift can do wonders. I believe that we should seek to learn about different perspectives and find role models who have achieved what we might’ve once thought was impossible. 

Have you had any of these beliefs? If so, will you take steps to overcome them? 

This is a guest post by Rachel from Hey, it’s Rachel. She writes about mindset, personal finance, and all things personal development. She’s on a mission to empower millions of people around the world to live their best lives through education on mindset and growth.

Final thoughts by Wealthdojo

These are my favorite quotes from Rachel. Thanks for the beautiful article.

1. Money can buy a lot of things. And it can definitely help you solve a lot of problems. But it can’t buy happiness, because that’s something that can only be achieved internally. 
2. It’s funny, though, because our happiness actually comes from the absence of wanting. When we’ve gotten that new [insert material thing here], for a moment we don’t want anything else.
3. Instead of working harder, you can work smarter.

Chengkok is a licensed Financial Services Consultant since 2012. He is an Investment and Critical Illness Specialist. Wealthdojo was created in 2019 to educate and debunk “free financial advice” that was given without context.  

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