Often we’re the only people standing in the way of our own success. A lack of confidence can be debilitating in all aspects of life. When it comes to monetary decisions, women in non-financial fields often defer to the men in their lives or simply leave their money where it is for fear of making the wrong decision. As Women’s Day approaches, we take a look at ways you can empower yourself around your financial future.
All in the mind
Neuro-link practitioner, Kotie Potgieter is CEO of MiND, a company which offers empowerment and development training through brain-based learning tools. She believes that 90% of people fail in their finances because of their financial programming. “The mindset around money is key to financial success,” she says. “We often underestimate the power of our subconscious programming. For example, if, as a child our parents regularly complained about a scarcity of money, this will manifest in our adult lives becoming our direct reference to the way we think and act around money.”
Regardless of your background, taking control of your finances means reprogramming your thinking and silencing self-doubt. “It’s important to remove as much uncertainty in our lives as possible in order to eliminate fear,” says Potgieter. “Taking control of our finances by developing our mindsets and skillsets, and then acting, vests self-worth in us.”
Gaining confidence
Potgieter offers the following tips for gaining financial confidence:
- Start by understanding your thinking patterns and who you are. We’re all wired differently and therefore need to understand and work on our shortfalls. Therapy, doing brain profile analyses or attending an appropriate workshop can all help in this regard.
- Invest in your knowledge and develop your skills set. Read books or attend talks that will help you understand how investments are structured and to learn how you can measure growth against inflation.
- Attend a workshop or enlist an expert to assist you in reprogramming your beliefs around money. It’s difficult to create wealth if your beliefs around money limit you. For example, if I believe money is the root of all evil, how will I identify investment opportunities that will maximise growth?
- Your budget should allow at least 10% towards investing, which will get you into the habit. Ideally, you should then start reducing your debt and, rather than spending the remaining money, continously invest it.
- Make your money more meaningful to you by giving back a percentage in a non-self-serving way to a charity or cause close to your heart. If we expect to receive, we should also be willing to give.
Visit: www.mindmastery.co.za |
