Some people think that mindfulness and money aren’t capable of being the same sentence. After all, millions of people blame money for their problems and in fact, call it the root of all evil. But, the truth is you can be mindful and make a great living. It is all about being more conscious of how you are making your cash, how you are spending it and where it is coming from. Where mindfulness was once just seen a buzzword or a way to make money from people who seemed a bit more spiritual, it is now in the mainstream media, has many books written about it, and in many large corporations highly encouraged. While mindfulness is cited as helping to improve things like anxiety, depression and even pain – a surprising side effect is improved financial habits and learning capabilities.

Mindfulness instils in us the idea that rather than go with the impulse buy, we should consider a few things: do we need it, is it a waste, why are we buying it and what will it add to our lives. Thinking and talking about money, when it comes to your business or your personal habits make it more concrete and actually, once you set explicit goals, verbally, you are more likely to reach them. Plus, you can be held accountable by people you discuss it with, or by yourself.

So here are a few other things that are actionable and will help you reach your financial goals, be they paying off your credit cards, signing up for training with training connection to improve your career prospects, saving up a few thousand dollars or simply just getting to bed on time.

1.    Keep you mornings unplugged for at least 30 minutes. Rather than check your phone, wake up and firmly say your goals. This is called setting your intentions. You might simply say “today I intend to put $10 in my savings account and be kinder to people I encounter today”.
2.    Spend at least 10  minutes focusing entirely on your breathing. While concentrating on your breath think about the intention you have set, and if you are not on track for this day, reapply those intentions and refocus on reaching that goal for today.
3.    Be consistent. The best way to truly reign in overspending, or tackle business-related financial issues is to be consistent. Make this a habit – like daily yoga, not something to dabble in. You can also choose to set a daily limit on how much you can spend and stick to it.
4.    Visualize your goal. Think about how your bank account will look when you’ve saved up the amount you had in mind, think about how your CV will look after you have completed your training. Picture yourself reaping the rewards of your hard work.

Staying present in your decisions is essential to keeping yourself on track, but something just as important is that if you do make an impulse purchase and break your own rules, be kind to yourself.

Photo by Aleksandr Ledogorov on Unsplash