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Today's question comes from Elise, and she writes, "Hi Marie, big fan. My question today is about my money mentality. You see, I recently became aware that I'm surrounded by poor people. What I mean is everyone in my life at the moment has a poor person mentality, including me. It feels like my family, friends, and even my partner are stuck in scarcity. They're scrambling for dollars, stressed out about bills, complain about the government stealing from them, and say everyone's got their hands in your pocket. It's gotten to the point where movies are out of the question, date nights don't exist, and there are no more nice dinners. It sucks. So, my question is, how do you break out of the scarcity mentality when everyone around you is stuck in it? Should I cut everyone off and move to Greenland, or do I have to constantly read books about money? Help, love Elise."
Elise, this is an awesome question, and you are so not alone. Not many people I know grew up with wealth, whether that's actual cash or an abundant money mentality. Now, here is the good news. You can totally break out of your scarcity mentality and create a shift in the energy around you without moving to Greenland. Now, I know you put a lot of emphasis on the people around you, but as you know, the only person you can change is yourself. So, that's where we've got to focus. Here are six ways to turn that money frown upside down.
Number one, you've got to write yourself a fat reality check. Elise, I know you probably know this, but let me remind you: Almost half the world, that's like three billion people, live on less than $2.50 a day. And 80% of all humanity lives on less than 10 bucks a day. Now, I did a little research on you, and I'm pretty sure you don't fall into either one of those populations. Now, I'm not making you wrong for wanting more, but you've got to get that true abundance starts with appreciating everything you already have right now. So, if you want out of that scarcity mentality, you've got to start appreciating what you've got and make it a habit. You've got a roof over your head, you have clean running water, and you have some damn cute clothes. I think Oprah said it best when she said, "Be thankful for what you have. You'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never ever have enough."
Number two, get an ATM. What? Steal a cash machine? No, silly girl. It's an automatic transformative mantra. That's just a simple phrase you put on automatic repeat that transforms your money mindset. This is something I personally use to overcome my own scarcity mentality around money, and I still use it to this day. Here it is: Anytime you part with money, whether you're paying a bill or you're buying something, say this: "There's always more where that came from." This might sound silly, but there is real power in the words that we say to ourselves and immense power in rituals. It's a super simple way to retrain yourself in the truth with a capital T about money.
Number three, BYOL. Bring your own luxury. Who says you can't have nice dinners at home? In fact, I actually prefer to eat at home. My meals taste way better; they are so much healthier, and they cost a fraction of the price. You can take any inexpensive dinner and make it a nice dinner. If you play it beautifully, and you light some candles and you put on some music and you wear something nice, with just a little bit of effort, you can take a cheap dinner and make it an amazing dinner. In fact, one of my favorite resources for budget-friendly recipes is this magazine, Cooking Light.
Number four, start a fund. Before we go any further, I've got to say you and your partner have got to get on the same page about money. Now, you can't change your family or your friends, but it is vital that you and your man get and stay on the same page regarding finances. You can make busting out of your scarcity mentality something you work on together. And the fund can help. Here's what that is: It's a checking account or a piggy bank or a pickle jar that's earmarked for fun and fun only. So that money is exclusively for movies or meals out or other things you and your partner might normally say we can't afford.
Number five, build your knowledge bank. Now you said, "Do I have to keep reading books about money?" And my answer, until you get your money game together, is yes. And whether it's books or seminars or audios, it's not just about reading or listening, but you actually have to implement it, especially if you want to have money and keep it. Now, as for money seminars, they can be a little cheesy, and people may try and sell you some more stuff, but that doesn't matter. You'll still learn a ton. And what's even more important, you're going to be around people who are actively improving their own money mentality.
Number six is spread the wealth. So, this is another strategy that I've personally used, and it's a little bit counterintuitive. So, anytime you're feeling a lack around money, you've got to give some away. So, for example, if you catch yourself in major scarcity mode, you should donate a little bit of money to a cause you believe in. Now, if you're not sure where to donate, uh, we have an organization that we love. It's called KA, and we also have our own lending team, and I'll put links below this video so you can check it out. Another way to spread the wealth is to just be generous with your friends and family. There's something amazing about saying, "I'll treat," even if it's for something simple like a coffee or a home-cooked meal. Now, as we've discussed, you cannot change your family or your friends around their money mentality, but you can be a living demonstration of a more abundant reality. That is my 80/20 Q, Elise. I hope it helps.
Now, I would love to hear from you. Have you broken out of a scarcity mentality around money? And if so, how'd you do it? Now, if you're currently working through this, I would also love to know which of these six strategies resonated the most, and which can you put into practice starting right now.
Today's question comes from Elena, and Miss Elena writes, "Hi Marie, I love your book and Marie TV is very inspirational. I have more of a spiritual question for you. I really want to be a great high-end photographer, and to do that I need lots of money to learn the craft and buy top-of-the-line cameras. So, I'll take any opportunity to work and earn money. But this focus on making money, even though I believe in what I'm doing, is turning me into a machine. I feel like it's bad to want to earn a lot of money and that it's not spiritual, and I've become too materialistic. Can you give me some advice on how to be cool with the idea of making money?"
Elena, this is a great question because money and spirituality is a very hot button topic. So, I know you're asking yourself, "Is it unspiritual to want to make money? Am I shallow if I want to make more?" Let me tell you something, woman. I consider myself a very spiritual person, and I love making money. Now, not just for money's sake, but more specifically for what it can facilitate in terms of me being able to contribute to others, to create experiences, and to enjoy my life. And I've always felt this way ever since I was a little kid. Now, when I was growing up, my family didn't have a lot of money. My parents worked their buns off, so we always had what we needed, but we were never rolling in the dough. But one thing I'm really appreciative for is I learned a healthy respect for money. In fact, when I was a little girl, anytime I would get my hands on some, I would go to the sink; I would wash it, and then I would iron it so I could keep it all organized. That is how much I loved my [Music] money.
So, here's the thing, Elena. Money is awesome, but I sense from your question that you're afraid you're too focused on it right now. And here's the thing: You might be, especially if you've lost sense of your ability to have fun while you're making it, and you've lost touch with the deeper reason you're trying to earn so much in the first place. If you want the recipe to create a life you love, you need two key ingredients: achievement and fulfillment. Achievement is about accomplishing and reaching your goals. And very often, making money is part of the achievement puzzle. Fulfillment, however, is about something deeper and richer. It's about feeling fulfilled and having creativity and passion and enjoyment and all that good stuff in your life. And here's the thing: You need both if you want to be happy. I want to tell you something, Elena, and yes, it's a tweetable: When achievement is divorced from fulfillment, you lose custody of your happiness. Sounds to me like you may be a little too heavily focused on the achievement aspect of your life, and you need to consciously bring fulfillment into what you're doing. So, you've got to ask yourself, "How can you bring passion and fulfillment and contribution and meaning and fun to everything that you're doing? How can you reconnect to your heart and bring that true sense of passion and meaning to every single thing that you're doing to earn this money?" My advice: Be passionate in every single moment you're working.
Now, on the other hand, if you already love what you're doing and you're just feeling guilty about wanting more money, then you are creating unnecessary drama where you don't need to have it. Hey, are you feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or just drowning in busy work and still not making the money you deserve? In this brand new training, you're going to learn three super common mistakes that can kill your productivity and tank your profits and how to stop them fast. Just go to marieforio.com/freeclass or scan the QR code on your screen right now.
My friend Joe Polish calls money fun tickets. And I love that definition of money. Money is just there to help you experience things that you want to experience. It's meant to flow. There's nothing evil or dirty about it. So think about it: If you go to your favorite restaurant for dinner, you are supporting that restaurant and all the people that work in it. If you buy a piece of jewelry, you are supporting an artisan in her craft. And if you want to give some away, you can help tackle an issue in the world that you want to see solved. The more successful you are, the bigger difference you'll make in the world and the more people you're going to serve. And that is plenty spiritual if you ask me.
So Elena, that is my A to your Q. I know so many of us have conflicts between money and spirituality. So, thank you so much for asking it. Now, I want to hear from you. Do you have any limiting beliefs about money that either limit how much you make or how much you enjoy what you do make? In the comments below, I want to hear your specific limiting belief. And this is very important: I want to hear the new empowering belief that you can replace it with. As always, the best stuff happens after the episode over at marieforlo.com. So, go there and leave a comment. Now, did you like this video? If so, subscribe to my channel and yes, share it with your friends. And if you want even more great resources to have a business and a life that you love, plus some personal insights from me that I only talk about in email, get your butt over to marieforio.com and sign up for email updates. Stay on your game and keep going for your dreams. The world needs that special gift that only you have. Thank you so much for watching, and I will catch you next time on Marie TV. Hey, if you loved this video, you need to watch this one next. Trust me on that.