A New Mindset: Improving Your Life with the Resources You Have
Everyone has, at some point or another, been at a point in life where they did not feel like they had enough. I personally have felt this way – before starting my real estate investing business, I worked in a corporate investing position. There were many ups and downs, and there were times when I felt like I’d never have the life I truly wanted. These situations can be extremely stressful and disheartening, and can inhibit your ability to make progress towards your goals.
When you’re struggling to pay your rent or take care of your family, you may feel like you will never find a way out. However, by changing your actions and your mindset, you can make significant strides towards a life of financial stability and personal contentment. The trick is to take the resources you do have and use them to your advantage. By taking my passion and knowledge of real estate and using it to pursue my own investment career, I found that soon many aspects of my life improved, personally, professionally and financially.
Know your worth, and focus on building your confidence.
When you are in a place where you have very little, it can be easy to fall into the trap of believing that you don’t deserve to live a better life, or that you aren’t worth the respect of others. This perpetuates a cycle of negative feeling, because if you have a poor attitude towards yourself and your behavior, then others will too. The first step towards making more of your life is changing your mindset. Everyone, regardless of where they are in life or how much money they have, deserves to be treated with respect and kindness. When I worked in corporate finance, I often felt very negative about my work, and it inhibited my progress. Acknowledging my abilities and believing in them enabled me to make the jump to working in real estate.
If people in your life (co-workers, family) are making you feel ashamed, or put you down for your situation, don’t tolerate it. You should also make sure you think about yourself positively as well, and work on building a self-confident attitude. Remind yourself daily of the skills and positive traits that you have to offer the world. This won’t happen overnight, but once your attitude starts to change, you will likely feel more empowered to take on new challenges and opportunities.
Practice gratitude for the things you do have.
If you have been living with a negative attitude about your financial situation for a long period of time, it can be difficult to see past it. Make a habit of reminding yourself of the wonderful things that you have and are grateful for in life. Maybe you have truly wonderful relationships with friends and family, live in a city you love, or have hobbies you enjoy. If you focus on what you don’t have, you will diminish the progress that you are making, and you won’t feel like you’ve made any progress. However, if you focus on the things that make you happy and accept that change won’t happen overnight, you may start to notice opportunities for growth that you didn’t see before. For example, maybe moving in with a family member or friend could help you to save money. Maybe you can turn your favorite hobby into a side job or even a full business, like I did with real estate investing. Keeping an open mind is very important during this period of change.
Set the outcomes you truly want.
Setting outcomes is an important part of making progress in any aspect of life – this is a truth that is widely known and accepted. However, society sometimes has a way of pushing expectations on us that we don’t really need. When deciding what you want out of life, remember to ask yourself: does this make me happy? You may have been saving up to buy a house or a car, only to realize that what would make you truly content is to travel or spend more time with family. As your financial resources start to increase, be sure to use them for things that you love and enjoy.
Stay creative and open-minded.
As you start to make progress towards a more comfortable life, it can be easy to relax and let your forward momentum stagnate. Take active steps to make sure this doesn’t happen. Stay open-minded and aware of new opportunities for success. Success isn’t something that’s achieved, it’s maintained. Your mindset is the key to living the life you want.
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