Do you ever talk to yourself? Do you hear voices in your head? I know I do.
No, I am not crazy. But I do believe that we all have “voices in our head” that influence our path of action in any area of our lives.
Sometimes there is a voice speaks from our childhood, what we heard from parents or teachers about what we could do or should do.
Perhaps the voice of a spouse or a significant other who can either help to build up or tear down our self-worth.
Or it could be the voice of a supervisor which influences what we think about ourselves and our value in the market place.
What about Managing Money?
When it comes to managing money, we also have many voices in our head.
The voices of the news shows which speak to the current state of the economy and whether or not the American Dream is still alive.
Or the voice of the politician who thinks government is the answer to all of our economic problems.
Or the voice of a friend or relative which believes winning with money is just a dream and that you are better off by playing the lottery and hoping to win it.
After all, someone has to win. Right?
Carefully Filter What You Hear
In terms of how you and I can be successful in managing money, it only matters what we believe is true about our particular situation.
It is not about what the media thinks, what politicians think, or even what your relatives and friends think. Neither one of them pays your bills.
Neither one of them is in charge of your economy. You are in charge.
Even the advice you receive by reading this blog matters very little if you don’t take action on it.
It only matters what you believe to be true, because your success is ultimately determined by what you believe.
So, ask yourself these questions and consider your answers:
- Do you think it is impossible to live on a budget? Or do you think if someone showed you how, you could do it?
- Do you believe that you will always have a car payment? Or do you think it is possible to save and pay cash for your next car?
- Do you believe credit cards are a way of life, or do you believe that it is possible to live without relying on plastic?
- Do you believe you should focus on building your credit score, or do you believe that you should focus on building wealth?
How are you doing so far?
- Do you believe in spending all the money that comes in, or do you believe that you should save for a rainy day?
- Do you believe that you could really plan and save for retirement, or are you resigned to live on Social Security and Medicare?
- Do you believe that the only way to go through college is with student loans, or do you think that scholarships, work, and savings are a better option to cover the expenses?
- Do you believe is up to the government to help you and fix all of your problems, or do you believe that it is up to you to lead your household by doing what it takes to get control of your financial situation?
- Do you believe is up to someone else to help those in need, or do you believe that as you improve your financial situation you can then truly give and help others?
In the end, it is all about what you believe. Your beliefs will determine your actions.
So, what are the voices in your head saying about managing money?
“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
Philippians 4:8 (NASB)
This post is also available in: Spanish
