Don’t worry, make money.
There are so many times when I reflect on my college days at the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC, and think about how I worried about very little. Outside of making excellent grades to please the overachiever in me, I can’t recall worrying about much else. Fast forward to my senior year in college, it seemed like the moment I was unable to manage my financial responsibilities well, I started worrying about money, getting a good job, going to grad school, and making something of myself that would show I hadn’t wasted the last four years of my life in college. All of the college grads, please tell me I’m not the only one who experienced this. I had no real relationship with God back then and even now as I grow deeper in my relationship, I have to actively practice bringing my worries and cares to God. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7 NLT
I’m grateful for this instruction because Lord knows I’m no longer interested in being Miss Independent. No thanks, Ne-yo. When you realize something is no longer serving you, I really believe you have to transform your mind and IT IS A PROCESS. We are creatures of habit so it’s extremely easy to fall back into what's familiar: what’s comfortable. It’s not crazy, it’s human. *sighs*
As I transition from Little Miss Independent to depending on the Lord, I pray, of course, and open myself up to learning from others who can speak to areas I want to develop. This led me to pick up the book, Don’t Worry, Make Money by Richard Carlson. This has been a great $3 investment (stop sleeping on books at Goodwill) and transformative for my mindset. In this blog post, I’ll be sharing 5 lessons and short paragraphs, from the chapter, to help you stop worrying and start making money. Let’s get into it!
Remember that the Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step
The trick to success sounds very simplistic because it is very simple: Just begin. Take a single step, followed by another, and then another. Don’t look too far out into the future, and don’t look too far back either. Stay centered in the present moment as best you can. If you follow this simple plan, you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish over time. Don’t worry that the conditions have to be perfect. The truth is, you are still going to have to take that first step! If you take it now, instead of later, you’ll be many steps closer to your dreams by this time next year.
From The Responsible Homegirl:
Stop worrying about where to start and what to do to get your money together! Let me help you stop wasting money and start managing it! After all, who doesn’t want access to the options money can provide? Step one is commiting to creating a plan on payday. Use The Responsible Homegirl Planner to create a budget everytime you get paid!
Give, Give, Give
Giving is an energy that not only helps others but creates even more for the person who is doing the giving. Money is “circulation.” It needs to flow. When you are frightened, selfish, or when you hoard everything for yourself, you literally stop the circulation. You create “clogged pipes”, making it difficult to keep money flowing back in your direction. Be generous. Pay others well, and tip your waitress that extra dollar. Support several charities. Give back. Watch what happens! Things will start popping up out of nowhere. Everything you give away will return, with interest.
Pay Yourself First
From this moment on, make a commitment to yourself that you will ignore all thoughts of worry and pay yourself first. You will have enough for everything else. You'll be surprised, but somehow, regardless of your income, there will always be enough left to pay your bills. You'll make invisible, wise adjustments in your spending habits. You'll make new choices. In a short time, you'll get in the habit of paying yourself first, saving, or investing something for you.
Accept the Fact that You Can Make Excuses, You Can Make Money, but You Can’t Do Both
If you think about it, “excuses” are often nothing more than an expression of fear. When you remove the fear behind excuses (when you stop worrying), you create the space and confidence to move forward. A person who is in the habit of making excuses keeps himself from his greatest potential. Virtually every successful person I know admits to being confronted with his or her own excuses, like “I’m tired”, “I’ll do it later”, etc. What these people are able to do, however, is to think of their fears and excuses as nothing more than frightening or lazy thoughts that can’t be taken so seriously. They are able to stay focused on what they are doing and what they are attempting to accomplish.
Ask for What You Want
It’s astonishing what you can accomplish by simply asking for what you want- help, a raise, forgiveness, an idea, another chance, a break, or whatever. The reason we don’t ask is fear. We worry about the outcome. We’re afraid of rejection or a negative response. Despite our fears and concerns, it’s actually quite arrogant and self-righteous to assume that others aren’t willing to help. The key in asking for something, large or small, is to be sincere in your belief that, deep down, others want to help you.
There are 100 lessons in this book! I haven’t even read all of the lessons yet, but I had to share this with you. Mindset is everything. As you progress in your personal finances, take time to investigate the beliefs you have around money and start transforming your mindset step by step. Our beliefs, our thoughts, our words, and our emotions about money have more power than we think but that’s another blog post for another day. Like the first lesson I shared, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and you can start your personal finance journey with The Responsible Homegirl Planner! Grab the planner if you want less stress and more peace in your finances.
