The Money Mindset Shift that Made Me a Millionaire

If you’ve been around for a while, you know that I’ve made a lot of mistakes when it comes to money.

I amassed $40,000 of debt, I didn’t know how to constructively talk about finances with my husband, and I avoided the reality of my finances like a toxic ex.

But before I could pay off my debt, start working together with my husband to achieve goals as a team, and enjoy peace of mind, I had to change my money mindset.

Once I fixed my mindset, I was able to develop healthy money habits and start building wealth.

If you’re in a situation where you have debt or struggle to save or are afraid to even check your bank account, then know that I’ve been there. And here are 4 things that helped me develop a positive money mindset.

1) I confronted my money beliefs

I realized that a lot of the things I believed about money stemmed from subconscious thoughts I picked up as a child – things like people who want to be rich are bad or you should never pass up a good deal…even if you don’t need to buy the thing.

I sat down and journaled and really thought through all of the beliefs and feelings I had about money.

Then I reviewed them and asked myself if this belief was creating more money in my life or keeping me from having more money.

If it was keeping me from having more money, I knew it was time to ditch it and replace it.

2) I created a new money persona

Before you can make any kind of substantial change, you need to change the way you see yourself.

The problem with a lot of the goals we set is that they’re based on an outcome — like losing 20 pounds or paying off your credit card debt — instead of focusing on the process — like exercising or making better spending decisions.

It’s better to change your perception of yourself than rely on motivation, which will fade.

James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, says that to change your behavior for good, you need to start believing new things about yourself. You need to build identity-based habits.

Basically, you need to create a new identity for yourself and then develop habits that support that new identity.

So, I wrote myself a new persona: Luxury Laurie.

Luxury Laurie views money as a form of self-care. She uses money to take very good care of herself. She feels excited, empowered and masterful when it comes to money. She's careful with her money and gets a lot more joy out of it because she spends it on things that have a really big impact on her life and her experience of life. She knows her numbers and as a result is able to spend money without guilt.

So, what will your money persona look like? What’s her name? How does she act with money? Write a detailed description of your money persona.

3) I practiced higher level thoughts

In our program, the Million Dollar Year, we teach the difference between lower level thoughts and higher level thoughts.

Lower level thoughts are negative and focus on the problem. They make you the victim.

Higher level thoughts are hopeful and give you the power over your situation.

For example, a lower level thought would be “I suck at saving money.” A higher level thought is “I’m learning how to save money.”

Or a lower level thought would be, “I’ll never be able to retire.” A higher level thought would be, “Money has a magic ability to grow when invested and allowed to compound over time. It’s never too late to start.”

4) I invested in my financial education

I’ve learned a lot about money. I knew that if I wanted to be wealthy, money had to be something that I felt comfortable around and confident in my ability to manage.

I read a ton of books, took courses, and spoke to people who had better financial acumen than I did.

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If you want to learn more about how I got out of debt and started building wealth, you should check out our free masterclass, Master Your Money, where I dive more into the wealth-building part of my story.

Also, if this topic resonated with you, we dive much deeper into how to change your money mindset – and even give you a step-by-step workbook – in our program the Million Dollar Year.

Best of luck in your journey to financial wellness!!

-Laurie-Anne