When Money Trouble Is A Good Thing
Does anyone anywhere enjoy being in a crisis? The answer is probably yes, though the exact nature of the crisis would surely be a factor. Facing crisis of some sort can start a rush of adrenaline, and make one feel their complete abilities are needed. A situation like this, where the need to perform seems critical, feeds the competitive drive of some people and makes them feel exhilirated. But would the same person feel exhilarated by a personal health crisis where a cure seems unlikely? Probably not, hence why the nature of the crisis is meaningful.
With respect to a financial crisis, most of us would probably equate it with a bad health diagnosis: something to be avoided as much as possible. The fact of the matter is however that financial troubles do occur and they occur often. It could very well be true that money shortage is the most typical of all problems. In the United States alone, scores of people have the experience of not having enough money at some point in their lives. There are people in fact who spend the majority of their existence feeling like they don’t have enough money. If money troubles are common, they are also exceptionally stressful for this simple reason: money equates with survival. If one is short of money, one’s life may literally be at risk.
Disregarding for a moment how frequent and trying money difficulties can be, one means for dealing with money problems may actually see extreme money problems as an asset. Ho oponopono is known as a problem solving technique that’s been practiced for generations on the Hawaiian Islands. The growing number of people who practice ho’oponopono often sought out the technique initially because they were facing some sort of financial crisis. So why can a significant financial crisis, or any significant crisis for that matter, be a good thing from a ho’oponopono perspective? Because the worse a crisis becomes, the more inclined a person may be to reach a point where they stop actively fighting with a problem and simply let go.
The idea of problem disengaging would strike some as failure, but within ho’oponopono it is fundamental. Within ho’oponopono engaging a problem is thought to be resistance, and resistance prevents ho’oponopono’s effects from being fully realized. From a ho’oponopono perspective then the worse your problem is, money problem or otherwise, the more inclined you are to disengage and simply focus on using ho’oponopono. Maximum effect problem resolution can now proceed. Granted, having the faith to let go and trust isn’t an easy thing for most people to do. But a growing number of people, inspired by financial crisis or something else, are doing exactly that by incorporating ho’oponopono into their lives. Need Help is an online resource for additional ho’oponopono information.
Financial Trouble Starts In Your Mind
Blaming financial trouble on outside factors is the norm, but is it the truth? Sometimes. Unexpected things do happen, after all. On the other hand, some people manage to handle the unexpected without any real financial difficulty, right? What are they doing differently?
To begin with, some people – even some with a low income – set aside money for the inevitable car repair or visit to the doctor. A car repair, a visit to the doctor, a washing machine breaking down – these are all unexpected at the time they happen. But on the other hand, it is totally predictable that they will happen at some point in your life, right? If you think or pretend that they won’t – and so don’t have money set aside for them – maybe there is something wrong with how you’re thinking.
Fortunately you can change how you think. You can choose to reflect on your past, for example, and note that every year you have had several “surprises” that cost hundreds of dollars. You can remember the financial trouble these caused, and the stress, and decide to be ready next time. Then you can set aside a little bit of money each week in expectation of these “unexpected” events. This doesn’t mean you worry about these things – just the opposite. You plan so you don’t have to worry.
Poor Thinking Habits Equal Financial Trouble
There are other ways in which poor thinking habits affect financial matters. For example, you probably know how much easier it is to buy things when you have a credit card. The research confirms this, by the way. It even shows that people will pay more when paying with credit. In one study, those who were allowed to use credit cards at an auction for Boston Celtics tickets bid twice as high as those who were required to pay cash (even though the latter were allowed two days to pay).
Obviously this tendency to be freer with credit can get you into trouble. A solution? Train yourself to think of all money as cash. Every time you are faced with a possible purchase using a check or credit card, ask yourself if you would do it if it was cash in your hands. If this is too difficult, get cash from your bank account before you go shopping, and leave the credit cards home.
Your mind works in certain habitual patterns. The idea then, is that rather than let it mislead you, you use these habits in your favor. Another way to do this is to procrastinate in making purchasing decisions. When we procrastinate about something, we often just don’t get it done. The same is true when putting off buying something. If it is important enough, you’ll still buy it later, but many things will be left unbought. Putting off buying decisions can radically reduce your expenditures.
Here’s another habit to program into your thinking: Think of prices in terms of hours worked. Suppose you see a new television you like, and it costs $1,800. Now, let’s assume you make about $12 per hour after all taxes. When looking at that television, do the math. It takes 150 hours of your labor to pay for it. Imagine going to work for an extra day each week for 19 weeks (8 hours per day) to pay for the television. Is that price too high now?
Include the costs of interest if you are buying on credit. You might pay $2,400 for that television before you are done. In that case the price is 200 hours of work (working Saturdays for half of the year, for example). In fact, consider the total cost with interest for all purchases and you might change your mind on many of them.
To review: Procrastinate when thinking about spending money, think of it all as cash, or better yet, think of it all as hours worked. See the total cost with interest if you are financing something. Expect the unexpected and plan for it. Think differently. Financial trouble starts in your mind, and that is where you need to fix them.
Tags: financial, financial trouble, money, spending
