Teen Chat: 5 Ways To Make Money Work For You

Hi Teens:

How would you like to remove the barriers that could be holding you back from getting and staying rich for the rest of your life?

First, you should change your relationship to money from the negative to the positive before you can turn your cash flow to where you want it to be.

Have you ever heard of the money tree? It’s a metaphor for securing financial success. If you'd like to become wealthy, you need to make sure that your money tree can grow big. To do that, it needs strong roots and a fertile ground to grow in.

It's really what's under the ground that creates what's above the ground. It's the invisible that creates the visible. So you will have to "grow better roots", meaning
you have to change the beliefs you have about money. If they are rooted in negativity then it acts like a poison and your money tree won't bear any fruit (money).

On the other hand, a money mindset rooted in positivity creates a healthy, strong money tree that will bear lots of fruit!

Hey, you are probably thinking that you already feel positive about money. Who doesn't want more money?

The truth is that we all have some unhealthy issues concerning money - we just aren't always aware of those issues!

1. Change Your ‘Money Settings’
You were taught how to think about and handle money whether or not you realize it. At the same time, you developed specific attitudes towards money. When you were younger, you had many sources of influences about money; like parents, siblings, friends, teachers, religious leaders, media and the culture we all live in as well.
And this conditioning about money stays with you for the rest of your life unless you do something about it right now!

Once you are aware of your money mindset you can make the choice to change it around to the positive and get you going
towards the riches you deserve.

It's important for you to take a few minutes to go over these "Money Beliefs". Did you ever hear phrases like this?

• Money is the root of all evil
• Rich people are greedy
• You can't be rich and spiritual
• Money doesn't buy happiness
• And the famous…”We can't afford it”
• Money corrupts
• Money doesn't matter
• There is not enough to go around
• You don't deserve to have that
• Money changes people
• Having lots of money is a hassle
• To be rich, you have to use people
and take advantage of them
• I’m not smart or educated enough
• If you are not born rich, chances are
you will never be rich

and also, if you were rich, then.....

• I could lose it and be a failure
• I would never know if people like me for myself or for my money
• Everyone is going to want a handout

Secondly what are your parents/guardians like in the arena of money? Are they managing their money well? Are they spenders or savers? Does money come easily in your family or is it a struggle? Is money a source of joy or the cause of bitter arguments? Can you think of a specific incident in your family that had to do with money?

With all these attitudes and influences surrounding you all your life, it is no surprise then that you unconsciously will shy away from having and keeping lots of money, is it?

Wealthy people do not think about money in these negative terms. They know that by having lots of money they are able to
give back to the world in many ways. The best way to help poor people is to not be one of them

2. Take Control
You need to know that now YOU are at the steering wheel of your life. You create every moment in your life, especially your financial life. If you don't believe this, then you may believe that you have little or no control over your life and that financial success has nothing to do with you. This is very negative; instead of taking responsibility for what's going on in your life, you are choosing to play the role of the victim. Of course, any victim's thought process includes thinking "poor me". The problem is, thinking like that gets you nowhere, and before you know it that’s exactly what you’ll be – a poor you!

3. Stop the Blame
You can blame the economy, the type of business, the government etc. You can use excuses and justify yourself for not doing well financially, for example, "I don't have the right education" or "I don't live in the right part of the country", "I am not smart enough" or "I don't know the right people” and so on. However, these things aren’t true. You can succeed anywhere, and the first step in that success is getting a better outlook on your situation and environment.

4. Banish Pessimism
Complaining a lot doesn't help your finances either. While you complain you are focusing on the negative parts of yourself that you may not like. This reinforces bad thoughts you may be having about yourself, and it actually causes you to attract more negativity. So do yourself a huge favor and stop complaining or blaming or justifying. You are only putting yourself in the role of a victim and there is no such thing as a rich victim!

5. Count your Blessings
It's also important for you to see the blessings around you right now, however small they may seem. Each of us living in North America is actually rich already compared to other parts of the world. We have so much available to us, like roads, towns/cities and stores, public places like libraries, swimming pools, parks, arenas etc.
See yourself having abundance right now and it's from that standpoint that you can go towards receiving an abundance of money as well.

If only I had changed my "money settings" as a teenager! I would have been financially free a lot sooner. I used to think that becoming wealthy was only for other people. The truth is that you can become rich and you deserve to!

I highly recommend the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, (ISBN: 0446693219) for you to begin understanding more about becoming financially free, using the money concepts rich people use to help you put money in your pocket and not out of it.

It should be available at most libraries.

This article is part of the Teenacity Teen Chat Guide “Get what you want and break free” – 6 ways to help you unleash your greatness no matter what your life is like now! Go to HTTP://WWW.TEENACITY.COM – The # 1 Place for Teens – Where You Are Accepted For Who You Are – and get your copy now free of charge!