It’s amazing how gratitude can change how we see the world. Too often, we’re focused on finding the best ways to gain wealth and grow our assets. And, while there is merit to that, we don’t always take the time to slow down and feel grateful for what we already have.
Join us in counting our blessings and taking stock of what we appreciate in our lives—financially and otherwise. We find that practicing gratitude can help bring you peace and joy when reflecting on financial progress. So, in this article, we’ve shared four ways that gratitude can help improve your money mindset.
1. You become more grateful for what you have—not what you lack.
Slow down and really take a look at what you have—not only what you have now, but consider where you started. What progress have you made since the beginning? How has that progress contributed to your quality of life or your family’s lives? Set aside the urgency and worry that you sometimes feel to remember that you weren’t always in this situation. You worked hard to get here, and you deserve to enjoy your hard work. As you’re feeling thankful for what you have, you can worry less about what you don’t. Help yourself recognize that what you have already is enough and money will not bring us happiness; it’s merely a tool.
2. You will have less financial worry.
We tend to think of the next steps when it comes to our money: the car we want, the college fund we’re contributing to, the vacation we’d like to take. And, sometimes, we can be so worried about meeting (or not meeting) those goals that we let our worry overshadow our thoughts of gratitude. Give yourself time to feel thankful without worry of the future.
Of course, we will continue to make progress, but we can only live in the “progress” space for so long before we forget how wonderful it is that we’ve made it this far.
3. You will be more patient with financial decisions.
Gratefulness can slow down our financial decisions, allowing us to be more deliberate in our money moves. When we overspend, it’s often because we are making decisions in a rush out of panic and worry. But, as we mentioned in the previous point, gratitude can help us stay in the present—not worrying about our next move, which calms our panic and helps us to be patient.
Along the same lines, gratitude can slow down our impulse purchases. Feeling like what we have is enough calms our need to spend money on items that we may or may not actually need. When we’re happy with what we have, we can buy selectively without falling prey to instant gratification.
4. You are more willing to donate your money to meet the needs of others.
Can gratitude make you more of a philanthropist? We think so. Taking stock of your finances and being grateful for what you have can profoundly affect your willingness to help others. Your basic needs have been met, and by pausing to realize that, you see that you can help those who aren’t so lucky. When framing your finances in gratitude and feeling less financial worry, you realize that your good standing has put you in a situation to lend a helping hand.
Do you need help building a healthy financial future? Contact us today to get started!
