Mindful Money Foundations Course

Welcome to the Mindful Money Foundations Course!

Before we get started I just want to acknowledge that, money and harmony may feel like distant ends of a spectrum right now and instead of filling you up with joy and fueling your dreams, the topic of money causes you stress and drains your energy.

But you will soon see that the stressful elements are easy to untangle and you will be redefining money success in no time!

This course is completely self-paced, so be gentle with yourself, take breaks as often as you need and give yourself space to integrate this mindful approach into your everyday life.

Ok, let’s get started…

This video will take you through what you will need to complete this course.

This course incorporates a practical system, mindset strategies and mindfulness practices to increase financial well-being. It is structured into three sections; mindset, method and mindfulness.

In addition, this course has been created with two guiding principles in mind;

1. Choose to take back control of your financial life, and

2. Choose to experience money harmony.

Please watch this video to learn how these principles are important as you commence your journey towards a more peaceful and meaning relationship with money.

Your money mindset is your set of beliefs that determines your financial behaviours and attitude.

For most of us it is our families who unconsciously taught us most of our financial lessons and passed on money beliefs and behaviours (good or bad).

Cultivating a positive money mindset is less about money and numbers and more about being self-aware, mindful and kind to yourself and others. It all begins with a willingness to look at our own money beliefs and behaviours with kindness and compassion and then keep those beliefs that help you and let go of those that are hindering your relationship with money.

The easiest way to create and maintain a positive money mindset is with healthy money rituals and affirmations.

Work through the mindset strategies in the course materials with me in the following two videos.

This step is all about knowing what you spend your money on, why and giving yourself the opportunity to make balanced and soulful spending choices.

This step will take the most of your time but the time you invest now will literally pay off.

To start download the excel template "My Mindful Money Template.xls"

Start on the set-up tab and work through identifying your income, fixed and discretionary expenses and how much you are going to pay yourself.

Once you have worked out what your fixed expenses are make them automatic payments so you don’t need to think about them again until it is time to review them.

“It’s not your salary that makes you rich, it’s your spending habits.” – Charles A Jaffe

Then play around with setting limits for your discretionary expenses and saving some money each week to work towards your money goals in this order:

1. Build up one month worth of expenses emergency fund

2. Pay off credit card and consumer debt (then get rid of credit cards)

3. Build up emergency fund to cover 3-6 months’ worth of expenses

4. Create and add to your Bliss Fund to fund your future activities.

It is easiest to stick to your discretionary limits by using cash. Use ziplock bags to categorise and manage your weekly spending.

“Never spend money before you have it.” – Thomas Jefferson.

Choose to spend your money on things that bring value and joy to your life; and take some time to think about what money success means to you.

“Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy thinks, they don’t want, to impress people that they don’t like.” – Will Rogers

“Know what you own, and know why you own it.” – Peter Lynch

Managing your money mindfully is a great way to tame your money stress. By staying present, calm and focused you can ride the wave of spending temptations.

Often when we think of mindfulness we think of meditation and yoga but we don’t think about the way we spend our money. Dr. Jan Chozen Bays, author and Zen teacher, believes that practising mindfulness gives important insights into our relationship with money and why we spend it.

Remember that what makes you happy is sometimes hard to define and it will change over the course of your life, so getting into the habit of tuning into what makes you and your family happy will make this easier and easier. Sometimes you will get it right but sometimes you won’t. But at least you will get clearer and clearer about what makes you happy and what your money is best spent on.

Work through the mindfulness practices in the course materials.

It’s the simple things, done consistently, that make the biggest difference!

Tip: Research has found that there are a few common ways that money can make you happier: by spending it on others, buying experiences and not goods and spending money to buy time to do things you love.