Working so hard and not seeing the desired result we want is something that most of us have experienced in one form or another. There are a plethora of reasons why this may happen and it varies from one individual situation to another.
However, a common theme in many of these cases has to do with an internal issue, which is the feeling or belief that one doesn't deserve to achieve that desired result. This internalized belief could stem from past experiences, the environment we grew up in, or even the culture we immerse ourselves in.
It's somehow akin to the law of attraction, which is a concept that states that whatever you focus on, you attract more of it into your life.
Some people misunderstand this concept and think that they can just wish for something and it will happen.
However, this is not really how it works. You not only have to believe that you can achieve it, but you also have to take actionable steps towards it.
The missing link with people who think that they're undeserving is that they take steps towards their desired outcome without much of a belief that they can achieve it.
Recognizing Money Blocks
Past experiences can have a subtle way of dictating future outcomes. It mostly happens in the background with little to no conscious awareness.
There is always an amused look on my face whenever I hear someone say 'money is not for me!' because this translates as viewing money as something remote and beyond one's reach. It also implies a lack of self-worth and self-confidence, as if one does not deserve or cannot handle money.
With a bit of subtle digging(i.e, asking indirect questions), one comes to uncover that being unlucky with money in the past through bad investment, fraud or a health issue is usually the source of this perspective.
This sort of experiences often create a negative association or fear of money, preventing one from pursuing or accepting money opportunities in the future.
Imagine presenting a financial opportunity to this kind of people and ending it with something like 'You/We are going to make a lot of money from this!'. That will be an instant trigger for them, especially if they lose a lot of money in the past.
Culturally, we live in a very opinionated era and these opinions tend to drive things much more than objective facts. Not being able to control how external influences affect us can create a major internal problem of imbalance and clarity.
External influences can vary from the people we meet or the situations we encounter. And of course, the media. Arguably, social media is the major external influence in this day and age. Because of its global and constant impact, like an infinite loop that never ends.
A typical example that I've experienced and observed is watching the news and hearing about the latest economic crisis, perhaps a recession. We often feel a surge of fear and anxiety, and wonder how it will affect our job and income. A notable reaction is that we start to panic and hoard our money, and avoid any spending or investing.
This may well be good at the moment until we realise that we've missed out on some opportunities to grow our wealth or just enjoy our life, because we were too afraid of losing money or facing uncertainty.
Challenging Assumptions And Reframing Thoughts
A key step to achieving financial abundance is to challenge our assumptions and reframe our thoughts about money.
Assumptions are akin to the beliefs and expectations that we have about money, based on our past through the experiences we encounter with it. Thoughts are the mental statements that we make about money, which are based on our assumptions.
Both assumptions and thoughts can be either positive or negative, and each has an impact on your financial situation and well-being.
Negative assumptions and thoughts tend to create a scarcity mindset, such as the belief that money is limited, hard to get, or not for us.
Growing up, I was part of the people with the belief that money is evil or dirty and that it only causes stress and problems. This was what the environment reflected.
Positive assumptions and thoughts are the opposite, they tend to create an abundance mindset, which is the belief that money is plentiful and it isn't exclusive to only a few people.
Identifying and examining the negative ones that we have, and replacing them with more positive and realistic ones is a good approach to take. I prefer realistic ones because we can't entirely do away with negative ones and need to acknowledge them.
A negative assumption like money is evil or dirty, can be counteracted with money is just a tool or a resource that can be used for good or bad purposes. This depends on how we use it and what we value.
Thanks for reading!! Share your thoughts below on the comments.