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Harmful beliefs about money versus success

As Marcus Aurelius rightly observed, “Our life is as our thoughts have made it.” What we think and what we believe directly affects our emotions and actions. Beliefs are opinions, ideas, and judgments we share that we believe to be true. Beliefs about the financial sphere can favor the achievement of high earnings and good financial management or sabotage the achievement of financial security.

What beliefs are self-destructive?

During my financial coaching sessions, it was repeatedly found that clients have unknowingly hindered themselves from achieving professional and financial goalsbecause they had harmful beliefs.

I will introduce 4 popular beliefs and explain why they can be a hindrance.

  1. “Money makes people selfish and materialistic.” Such an assumption is characteristic of the type psychological financial identity referred to as an “ascetic”. As I explained in the article Financial identity and its impact on life An ascetic is a person whose money, on a conscious or unconscious level, is associated with something bad and immoral. He often focuses only on meeting basic needs and does little to raise his earnings. He usually prefers to limit his needs rather than actively take action to improve his financial situation.

I have helped clients who subconsciously sabotaged the achievement of higher earnings. They underestimated their financial expectations during interviews or did not even try to apply for attractively paid jobs. Some chose low-paying jobs from the start or did not seek a raise for years. I have even had people who, as soon as they had a real chance of a much higher income, unconsciously took actions that kept this prospect away. They had a deep-seated belief that money changed people for the worse. And because they did not want to become immoral, so they did not take advantage of the professional or financial opportunities that arose.

Some wealthy people really are unscrupulous egoists. They take advantage of others or judge only through the prism of money. However, a similar attitude can also be found in some of the poor... It's not money alone that makes a person mean or unempathetic. If a person changed his values and behavior as soon as he began to get better, it means that deep down he had already been that way... And money only made it easier for him to show his true self, because he no longer had to pretend to be kind.

  1. “Only with very hard work do people get rich.”. Much more inspiring and at the same time closer to the truth is the English saying: Work smarter, not harder - work smarter, not harder. Working beyond your strength, from morning to night, does not guarantee success. Millions of people work this way, but still earn little. Worse, they lose their health and are too tired to act creatively or develop competencies in areas valued higher on the market. On the other hand, many people have achieved success because they have come up with a great business idea or have taken on tasks that are highly margin or very well paid. This did not always mean having to work more than a dozen hours a day. It is true that we must put a lot of effort into every success. However, the trap is to think that if after returning from the company we do not fall from exhaustion, then apparently we have tried too little... It is also wrong to believe that hard work will eventually be rewarded... We all know hard-working people whom bosses unfortunately do not appreciate and “scoundrels” who do little, but are great at showing off in the eyes of superiors and earn an inadequate amount in relation to the tasks actually performed.
  2. “Money does not bring happiness.”. It happens that someone interprets this saying in such an extreme way that they consider that it is not worth seeking financial means, because it will not help in achieving well-being. So he will not look for opportunities to earn more, or he will waste money instead of managing it wisely. You can't buy love, friendship, health, happiness. However, the fact is that if we have a reasonable attitude towards money and do not fall into selfishness, toxic materialism or stinginess, then money can greatly help us to be happy. For example: we can pay for an operation or rehabilitation that saves the health of us or loved ones, leave toxic work or take care of proper nutrition and rest. I described it in more detail in the article How to spend money to really feel happy?
  3. “Other people's work doesn't make you rich.” But if you want to run a business, you can't do everything yourself. This is not only inefficient organizationally and cost-effectively, but also physically unfeasible in the long run. Even if you were able to learn everything from accounting to marketing, you will earn more if you focus on what you are best at and what is crucial in your business. And you will entrust the rest to employees or external subcontractors, for example, an accountant. By developing a business or being a passive shareholder, you inevitably get rich from the work of others. If you act ethically, treat people with respect and reward them accordingly, there is nothing wrong with that.

There are many more beliefs that can hinder the achievement of goals - including financial ones, and even the joy of success and prosperity. Some beliefs are familiar to us. Unfortunately, we are not aware of others, so it is all the more difficult to work on them. Beliefs from the family home have the greatest influence, because as children we absorb everything like a sponge and until a certain age we are not even able to critically analyze beliefs, habits or actions.

During a financial coaching session, an important element is take a look Blocking and supporting beliefs. You should make a list of both types of beliefs and consider how they affect your emotions and actions. Maybe it's time for a change?

Tips, you will find in my previous article Self-limiting beliefs - how to unleash your potential?

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Opublikowano:
6.23.2025 4:07
Autor:
Anna Daria Nowicka
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