We all have certain quirks about us. The way we naturally respond to any given situation is a culmination of our total experiences of our entire life, and this includes struggling with money. As we grow older we continue to strengthen those automatic responses like habits, whether good or bad. When your boss says, “We need speak when you have a moment…” or when your spouse or partner pokes a little joke at your expense, you tend to have the same knee-jerk reactions time and time again.

Have you ever taken an honest, objective look at how you respond to certain situations? If you find a $20 bill on the street, do you immediately head to happy hour or do you invest it?

Are your beliefs holding you back?

Think about it for a second – You just had a GREAT day! What do you do? You just had THE WORST DAY! What do you do? Did you answer nearly the same thing for both?

Often times, those in severe credit card debt or whom constantly suffer overdraft charges will celebrate a good day by buying something (usually on the credit card) and they’ll make themselves feel better on a bad day by splurging on something else. It’s the same regardless of what your vice or weakness is, and this is one of the primary reasons for struggling with money. If you are overweight, you probably reward yourself by eating (which includes spending) and you’ll allow yourself to feel bad by eating too.

How to end struggling with money problems

This week, tell yourself over and over again “How will I respond? How will I respond?” Get this into your head so that when you are confronted with a rewarding situation or a bad situation you are aware of your reactions. Did it really feel that good to stop at the burger joint or buy that thing you couldn’t pay for in cash?

Instead of succumbing to your usual responses, try rewarding yourself by driving to the nearby park during your lunch break, eating your homemade sandwich in the sun while you people watch, and just take some time to open your mind and think for a bit. When you think about your reactions, you can fine tune them into smart/healthy rewards and easy, cost free ways to feel better about yourself. This is a key to stop struggling with money.

Feel free to call me and see if I can help you fine tune your reactions.