I know, it seems contradictory. How can planning and “worrying” about budgeting help manifest abundance into your life? 

Because it’s never really about money, is it?

In modern society, money and self-worth are intrinsically tied together. You’re told that “money can’t buy happiness.” 

Yet, everywhere you turn there’s an advertisement trying to hook you in. Trying to get you to buy something so you can feel some type of way.

Ironic, isn’t it?

I had a wishy-washy money story for DECADES. Like many people, my money story began with the messages my family consciously (or subconsciously) shared with me, such as:

• “Money doesn’t grow on trees” (you have to work hard for it)

• “SAVE, SAVE, SAVE” (there’s never enough money)

• “Don’t go into debt or use credit cards” (money isn’t safe, you’re not responsible enough to handle it)

And the list goes on…

You start to feel like money is ruling your entire life - whether you’re juggling late bills, or lusting after your friend’s vacation on Instagram… it never feels like you have ENOUGH.

And that’s when it clicked for me… 

It’s not that I don’t have enough money, it’s that I don’t feel like I’m enough.

Money isn’t the problem. It’s the self-worth I attach to it.

That’s when I decided to take action and develop a plan for myself. That way I could feel more in control of my money, myself, and my life.

I sat down with my finances, set a budget, and then tracked it, daily.

At least, in the beginning. This helped me build up confidence in myself which snowballed in the following ways:

1. I felt more in control of my financial destiny.

When faced with a long list of tasks, you can easily get overwhelmed. A common piece of advice is to break things down into “baby steps.”

Instead of looking at the big picture, I focused on one month at a time. Then, I broke that month down into 4 weeks, in which I tracked my daily spending. The Fudget app helped immensely with this. I created weekly budgets (full month’s budget/4) and that’s how much I gave myself. 

2. It helped me build confidence, even in the face of uncertainty.

Setting up auto-payments and recurring transfers kept me from making impulsive decisions. (Auto-payments for bills and auto-transfers for my savings account.) What I had leftover was what I could use for indulgences. If something unexpected were to happen, I knew I had some cushion. 

3. It kept me disciplined.

Consistency is the key to manifesting - I’ll say it again. CONSISTENCY is the key to manifesting. I love referencing the book Atomic Habits whenever matters of consistency come into play. Despite being based on a more scientific approach, the rules apply just as easily to manifesting. 

He talks about “3D Lag” and “Plateau of Latent Potential” which means that habits need time to build momentum. He uses weight loss as an example: each week you might be losing tiny amounts of fat or gaining muscle which goes by mostly unnoticed - UNTIL you break out of the plateau and that’s when big shifts happen. 

With money, any amount you save (no matter how small) can earn interest. As you keep adding more money, the interest accumulates faster and faster.

4. I learned to energetically “guide” my money.

Using the techniques above (like auto-payments and auto-investing), I was able to redirect my current resources and have them “work” in the background. It also helped reinforce the belief that I don’t need to struggle and strain for my money. 

5. I attracted resources to increase my financial literacy.

By taking the scary step of teaching myself about finances, I actually attracted more resources into my life. I came across this course on Skillshare called “Modern Money Habits to Build the Life You Want” … you can also get 1 week FREE on Skillshare so you can get this course for $0. 

I also wound up getting an unexpected raise too!

REMEMBER: It’s OK to desire money and financial freedom.

Money has been made out to be the villain of the modern world. It’s not money that’s the problem, it’s how people to choose to use it. 

Your higher self only plants seeds of possibility for what is in your best interest.

Would anyone be harmed by you having more money?

NO! If anything, people in your life would benefit from it. You could share your wealth and good fortune to invest in yourself and others. 

You’d feel less stressed, you’d free up energy to focus on your creative pursuits. Survival mode is not your destiny! Thriving is.

So take a step, no matter how small, toward financial freedom today. You’ll never know how much it can snowball….

• Learn a new finance term

• Set a budget (there are loads of online templates)

• Track your spending

• Use an investment simulator (before you get comfortable with real investing)

• Sign up for a finance course

DISCLAIMER: The information in this post is based on anecdotal evidence and should not be taken as legal advice. The opinions expressed in this article are based solely on my own experiences. GigiByDesign will not be held responsible for any financial repercussions as a result of reading this blog.