Scratch. Bank. Coin. Moolah. There are so many ways to denote one simple thing: money. Such a wide variety of terminology speaks, literally and figuratively, to the central role money plays not only in our individual lives but also in our culture more broadly.
And though having a healthy bank account is by no means sufficient to ensure lasting happiness, to guarantee wellness in mind, body, and spirit, it is necessary. Even if everything else in your life is going well, when you have anxiety in your finances, that turmoil will reverberate across every domain of your being.
The good news, though, is that you don’t have to resign yourself to such money misery. It’s possible to reset your financial energy by learning to use money mindfully.
What Is Money Mindfulness?
Money is something we need, and use, most every day. It keeps the lights on, a roof over our head, and food in our belly. It makes it possible to protect and nurture those we love most in this world.
Yet few of us are really connected to our money. We often have precious little conscious awareness of how we use our money…our why. And it’s often that inattention, that habit of using money reactively rather than proactively, that makes our financial life go so far off the rails.
This is why, when it comes to resetting your financial energy, one of the first and most important things you can do is consciously reconnect, both with your money and, above all, yourself.
The ancient philosophy of
Hongik, which says to think and act for the benefit of all, gives you a powerful foundation for
awakening the consciousness and becoming more aware of your sense of purpose, being, and intention in the world. You can practice the spirit of Hongik by breathing, pausing, observing and releasing before undertaking any action. This way, when you do act, no matter how seemingly insignificant the deed, you do so with deliberation and purpose.The practice requires you to breathe, pause, observe and release before undertaking any action. This way, when you do act, no matter how seemingly insignificant the deed, you do so with deliberation and purpose.
Getting to the Root
When it comes to finances, the importance of purposeful consciousness cannot be overstated. All too often, our spending patterns are created not through intentional choice but through habit, a system of behavior dating back years, decades, or even generations. Our relationship with money is often so deeply ingrained that it seems at once inevitable, unquestionable, and inextricable.
If your financial history has been fraught with worry, fear, shame, or guilt, there’s a good chance that the energy of abundance and worth which are your natural birthright has been disrupted. The
root chakra, which is responsible for the manifestation of basic human needs, is also strongly connected to finances. It’s also the chakra most vulnerable to generational traumas and childhood adversity.
You may have absorbed negative financial energy from your parents or your parents’ parents. You may have learned to fear and spurn or to crave and covet money. And those negative energies may have caused you to manifest lack and anxiety instead of abundance and security.
Conscious Re/Creation
As profound as ancestral influences and early experiences may be in shaping your financial energy, they’re not determinative. You can reset and reimagine your financial life through a kind of conscious re/creation.
The process begins by awakening to the narratives that are, every moment, shaping your beliefs and your actions surrounding money. Through mindfulness practices such as meditation or thought journaling, you may discover that you don’t believe that you’re worthy of abundance or that you fear your gain may be another’s loss.
Thus, if you want to
attract and grow your money, you must first begin by identifying whatever harmful stories you’ve been subconsciously repeating to yourself. Only then can you replace those narratives with affirmations that enable you to make wiser and more purposeful choices.
And that means that your negative emotions and irrational instincts aren’t driving your spending decisions: your intentions are. That, in turn, makes it possible to take definitive steps toward building the financial future you want and deserve.
Oftentimes, these actions will come in the form of simple steps. For instance, to hit a savings goal you may opt to cut expenses elsewhere, or you may want to just get better at budgeting in general so more money can go to things that you want. For example, if you care about the environment and want to
beat high gas prices, you can reduce your driving speed and empty the roof rack of your car. This will allow you to save money on gas and help you cultivate abundance elsewhere in your life.
Mind Over Matter
Once you have reset your financial energy and healed your relationship with money you can with more confidence take bolder steps toward your financial goals. It’s important to act on these decisions ensuring that you are making them with clarity of purpose and not because of impulse or anxiety. You may, for example, explore the possibility of
refinancing your home. Understanding exactly how much equity you have in your home, knowing your credit score, and determining how current interest rates will impact the terms of the loan is critical.
Such conscious intentionality can extend into every aspect of your life as you begin to discern the connections between your choices and the life you manifest. For example, if your financial intention is to save enough money for a down payment on a home, you may begin taking definitive steps to reduce your daily expenses.
The Takeaway
Sometimes it feels as if it’s money, not love, that makes the world go around. But money does not have to be the source of obsession, worry, guilt, blame, or shame. It can be an attribute of abundance that creates good for yourself and others. The key, though, to creating happiness, peace, and plenty in your financial life is to change your relationship with money, to trade emotional reactivity with mature money mindfulness.