End of year resolutions can be depressing for many dads who look back on their year’s achievements and obsess about all the goals that they failed to reach. The financial responsibility for the average dad alone can be overwhelming, so as we are entering another year’s end and money is the number one stressor for a majority of people, why not shift your thinking about money into a more positive mindset?  

This mindset involves adopting a motivation to push past your fears, even when you are hit with major financial setbacks, like unexpected bills, loss of job house and salary, or a household repair. Your focus should be on setting a goal, such as deposit of a house or a car, or maybe putting away funds for a rainy day (and there have been plenty of those in 20202, for sure).

What can do to shift your money mindset?

The basic steps will involve your forgiving yourself for your past mistakes. Maybe you bought a house in the wrong area at the wrong time and wet into foreclosure. Maybe you spent money on lavish holidays and gifts instead of planning for what you really wanted to achieve in the future.

Let go of the past. This mistakes are done, and the longer that you hold onto them, the more power they will have over you, and limit your personal growth. Guilt will limit your creative thinking and ability to focus on how to change.

No-one is saying this is easy. Often, your attitude towards money is framed in your childhood. Yu have probably met successful people who came from poor backgrounds who say that they learned lessons about the true value of money whilst being brought up I poverty.

One way to think about money, is that it’s true value in enabling you to have time to focus on your personal growth, your closest relationships and your true goals, rather than the things you can buy with it. Think of it as an educational tool – there are literally thousands on online courses that you can buy to help you to improve your mindset on everything from money and communication, to MBAs and fitness. Yes, money can help you to become a better person!

That’s not to say that and occasional and controlled indulgence, like taking an online flutter at nz online pokies free spins is out of the question. You need to step outside the box once in a while. But focus more on the goals and wins, rather than escaping from what you might at first see as the shackles

Money and wealth mindset strategies

Here are some quick easy ways you can get started on deploying your new positive money mindset: 

1. Invest in your education first – look for qualified mentors and coaches who can help you improve all areas of your life maybe learn how to build a new career. Money spent in this way is rarely wasted and what you learn will help you to avoid making mistakes later on. 

2.  Pay yourself first – save a portion of your income each month that you can afford, even as little as 10%, and place it in a separate savings account, even before you pay your rent, bills and the like. 

3. Limit your credit card use – spend your money wisely if you use them to pay them off each month unless absolutely necessary. Credit card debt is expensive debt and will make getting ahead very difficult. 

4. Feel the pain in cash – if you are spending money on a high ticket item, use cash not credit. Once you see the number of banknotes needed to buy your new 65 inch 4K television in your hands, you may give pause for thought as to whether you really do need to buy an upgraded television. You are better off having the buyer’s remorse before the event rather than after! 

5. Give some cash away – this may sound counter-intuitive, but if you look at the careers of most wealthy entrepreneurs and successful people, you will find that at some point that they gave money to charity on a regular basis. It may be a karmic thing, who knows - but it has also been shown that being philanthropic is also good for your mental health and gives you a sense of purpose.

 The takeaway

Always try to stay true to your goals, and don’t get caught up by other people’s hype and schemes. Keep control of your own dreams. Stay thrifty, educate yourself and focus on building better relationships, which will help you to build positive momentum and the rest will follow. Feel free to share your best wealth building tips in the comments below. Here’s to your new success!