Leap Systems
When it comes to making decisions around money, a person’s beliefs and emotions play a large role. We often overlook this when evaluating the reasons why people are not successful financially…..it’s the white elephant in the room. Beliefs and emotions may be the reason our ability to make rational, logical decisions is impaired around personal finances. Think back to some of the phrases that have been passed down through generations. “Money is the root of all evil”, “Money doesn’t grow on trees,” or “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket”. These phrases may seem innocuous at first, but may have a bigger impact on our beliefs about money than we realize. In order to not have these types of phrases influence our financial decision making, we must be willing to evolve our thinking. We have to challenge these beliefs by evaluating the evidence used to support them and how it relates to today’s circumstances. Take some time to think about the common beliefs you have about money. Are these beliefs true? How do you know? What is the evidence? Are they impacting your ability to make decisions now? When it comes to learning about money, many people let their emotions and beliefs drive their actions. For some, it may be that they are intimidated about asking for help with financial decisions. After all, money is often thought of as being a taboo conversation in many social circles. The result - many people fail to ask for advice. Some decide to just not deal with it right now, ending in procrastinating to a point where challenges become difficult to overcome. Or worse, they end up not making any decision at all, staying in a perpetual state of financial limbo. Regardless of where you are today, there is hope. It is never too late to start making decisions around money, regardless of where you are in your life. You have to start somewhere and sometimes you have to start small. But by just getting started, being responsible, and paying attention, you will make progress. All it takes is one courageous step forward to alter your future. Talk to a Leap professional to learn how you can get started making sane, sound and simple financial decisions.