<commit_before>---
title: How to Improve Your Financial Confidence
date: 2019-08-05 11:00:00 -04:00
categories:
- lifestyle
image: "/uploads/sydney-rae-geM5lzDj4Iw-unsplash.jpg"
tweet: 'The way you feel about how you manage money really matters. '
posts:
- How Money Can Help Me Feel How I Want to Feel
---

Nearly four years ago, when I was just realizing that I wanted to pursue the financial industry for my career, I faced a fork in the road. Do I go to school to become a Certified Financial Planner and help people with their investments? Or do I get certified as a coach and help people with the daily financial struggles that come with life? I decided to take the coaching road mainly because I want to help the people who are not yet ready to invest their money, or those who are already contributing to retirement but who are still living paycheck to paycheck every month. Those people are the ones who aren't getting the support that they need from the financial industry and I aim to help them. But on top of that, I was also passionate and excited about the emotional side of money. I knew that in order to make long-term, positive change, my clients would need to work on themselves and their own financial beliefs. I've been on that path ever since.

## Why Financial Confidence Matters

Your relationship with money will impact how you behave with your money. That means that the more confident you feel about managing your money, the better you'll do so. Here are some things I know for sure:

* Emotions play a much bigger role in money than you might think.

* Our family history impacts how we behave with money.

* The way we think about money determines how we will act with our money.

* Sometimes, we’re the ones holding ourselves back.

* If you don’t think you can do it, you won’t try to do it.

* If you think you’ll always be “bad” with money, you’ll keep making the same bad decisions.

* Many of us don’t ask for what we want because we don’t believe we deserve it.

* Many of us get stuck in the cycle of debt because we don’t think we deserve better.

* We feel isolated from others because we think we are alone in our financial struggles.

## How to Build Your Money Confidence

Just because you don't currently feel confident about your money management skills doesn't mean you can't change that. I'm a big believer in changing your mindset in order to make long lasting changes in your life. It's a process that doesn't happen over  night, but it has to be deliberate and consistent. Below are some simple ways and some not-so-easy ways to improve your financial confidence:

**Forgive Yourself for Past Mistakes**

* **You can't change the past.** No matter how much you try to punish yourself for your past mistakes they still won't go away. Dwelling on them only causes you to suffer and keeps you stuck in the past. Accept that you won't be able to change the past so that you can leave it behind and move forward.

* **Your past doesn't define you.** We all make mistakes. But those mistakes don't have to repeat themselves or stay with us forever. If you've made bad financial decisions in the past, it doesn't mean that you'll always be bad with money. You're allowed to grow and change. 

* **Focus on future actions. **The more you focus on the future instead of the past, the more you'll actually be able to take action to move yourself forward. Instead of wondering what you could have done differently in the past, focus on what you can do differently in the future.

**Get to Know Your Numbers**

* **Look at all your accounts.** x

* **Understand your income.** x

* **Get clear on your expenses.** x

**Find the Easy Solutions**

* **Cancel unused subscriptions.** x

* **Delete tempting apps.** x

* **Leave your cards at home.** x

**Automate, Automate, Automate**

* **Put your bills on autopay.** x

* **Direct deposit your savings.** x

* **Create a spending account.** x

**Celebrate Your Wins, Big and Small**

* **Set interim milestones:** x

* **Track your progress:** x

* **Treat yourself:** x

**Stay in the Know**

* **Know where your money is:** x

* **Learn how to pay the bills:** x

* **Fund your own savings account:** x

**Talk About Money**

* **Be honest:** x

* **Tell your friends your goals:** x

* **Use goal-oriented language:** x<commit_msg>Updated How To Improve Your Financial Confidence<commit_after>---
title: How to Improve Your Financial Confidence
date: 2019-08-05 11:00:00 -04:00
categories:
- lifestyle
image: "/uploads/sydney-rae-geM5lzDj4Iw-unsplash.jpg"
tweet: 'The way you feel about how you manage money really matters. '
posts:
- How Money Can Help Me Feel How I Want to Feel
---

Nearly four years ago, when I was just realizing that I wanted to pursue the financial industry for my career, I faced a fork in the road. Do I go to school to become a Certified Financial Planner and help people with their investments? Or do I get certified as a coach and help people with the daily financial struggles that come with life? I decided to take the coaching road mainly because I want to help the people who are not yet ready to invest their money, or those who are already contributing to retirement but who are still living paycheck to paycheck every month. Those people are the ones who aren't getting the support that they need from the financial industry and I aim to help them. But on top of that, I was also passionate and excited about the emotional side of money. I knew that in order to make long-term, positive change, my clients would need to work on themselves and their own financial beliefs. I've been on that path ever since.

## Why Financial Confidence Matters

Your relationship with money will impact how you behave with your money. That means that the more confident you feel about managing your money, the better you'll do so. Here are some things I know for sure:

* Emotions play a much bigger role in money than you might think.

* Our family history impacts how we behave with money.

* The way we think about money determines how we will act with our money.

* Sometimes, we’re the ones holding ourselves back.

* If you don’t think you can do it, you won’t try to do it.

* If you think you’ll always be “bad” with money, you’ll keep making the same bad decisions.

* Many of us don’t ask for what we want because we don’t believe we deserve it.

* Many of us get stuck in the cycle of debt because we don’t think we deserve better.

* We feel isolated from others because we think we are alone in our financial struggles.

## How to Build Your Money Confidence

Just because you don't currently feel confident about your money management skills doesn't mean you can't change that. I'm a big believer in changing your mindset in order to make long lasting changes in your life. It's a process that doesn't happen over  night, but it has to be deliberate and consistent. Below are some simple ways and some not-so-easy ways to improve your financial confidence:

**Forgive Yourself for Past Mistakes**

* **You can't change the past.** No matter how much you try to punish yourself for your past mistakes they still won't go away. Dwelling on them only causes you to suffer and keeps you stuck in the past. Accept that you won't be able to change the past so that you can leave it behind and move forward.

* **Your past doesn't define you.** We all make mistakes. But those mistakes don't have to repeat themselves or stay with us forever. If you've made bad financial decisions in the past, it doesn't mean that you'll always be bad with money. You're allowed to grow and change.

* **Focus on future actions.** The more you focus on the future instead of the past, the more you'll actually be able to take action to move yourself forward. Instead of wondering what you could have done differently in the past, focus on what you can do differently in the future.

**Get to Know Your Numbers**

* **Look at all your accounts.** You have to know where you're starting from in order to move forward and make changes. So a good place to start is to look at all of your financial accounts to understand how much money you have and how much you owe. Signing up for a platform like Mint will help you keep all of these organized in one place.

* **Understand your income.** If you know how much money is coming in every week, you'll be more in control of how you're spending it. Look at your paychecks and figure out what your monthly pay is. If you have inconsistent income, or if you're paid hourly, figure out your average monthly income. 

* **Get clear on your expenses.** Look at how much money is going out every month. The first step is understanding your fixed expenses, which are the things you always have to pay no matter what (rent, student loans, utilities, etc). That is your baseline spending number. From there, figure out how much you're spending on everything else (food, transportation, entertainment). Mint will help you with this task as well. From there, you'll have more control over whether or not you need to cut back on your spending to fit within your income.

**Find the Easy Solutions**

* **Cancel unused subscriptions.** x

* **Delete tempting apps.** x

* **Leave your cards at home.** x

**Automate, Automate, Automate**

* **Put your bills on autopay.** x

* **Direct deposit your savings.** x

* **Create a spending account.** x

**Celebrate Your Wins, Big and Small**

* **Set interim milestones:** x

* **Track your progress:** x

* **Treat yourself:** x

**Stay in the Know**

* **Know where your money is:** x

* **Learn how to pay the bills:** x

* **Fund your own savings account:** x

**Talk About Money**

* **Be honest:** Instead of 

* **Tell your friends your goals:** x

* **Use goal-oriented language:** Instead of saying things like "I can't, I'm broke" when your friends ask you to hang out, using more positive language will be more useful. Say something like "I already reached my dining quota for the week, but I'd love to have you over for dinner instead!" or "I'm cutting back on spending so that I can take a big trip this summer, but I'd love to have you over to watch a movie!" Not only are you being honest about your goals, but you're using more positive language. This will help your mentality and that of your friends. 

The moral of this article is that knowledge is power. The more you understand about your own finances, the more in control you will feel. That control will then lead to confidence. You don't have to become a completely different person in order to feel more confident about your money, you just have to start implementing small changes over time. 
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