Is Your Money Mindset Empowering You or Holding You Back?
Have you ever caught yourself thinking, "I'm just not good with money", or "Wealthy people must be greedy"? Or maybe you feel guilty each time you spend money on yourself, or when your kids ask for something, you unintentionally transfer that guilt onto them by saying things like, "Don’t be selfish, always asking for more," or "Do you think we're rich?" in a defensive tone. These thoughts, internalized reactions, and responses aren’t random—they are reflections of the money mindset you’ve built over a lifetime. And here’s the real kicker: that mindset is either opening doors for you or quietly holding you (and your family) back.
Whether you're managing household expenses, thinking about building wealth, or dreaming of launching your own business, your beliefs about money shape your reality. The good news? You can change those that are not serving you.
How your Money Mindset was shaped
Your beliefs about money didn’t come out of nowhere. They were formed by:
1. Family & Upbringing
Maybe you grew up hearing "Money doesn’t grow on trees" or "Rich people are selfish." Or, on the contrary, maybe you heard things like "Poor people are just lazy." Perhaps your family went into massive debt while justifying unnecessary expenses or luxury purchases with phrases like "We deserve this" or "If the neighbors can have it, we shouldn't be any less." This may have been accompanied by criticism of others for being too poor, too rich, looking too cheap, or spending extravagantly. Or perhaps finances were a hush-hush topic, never openly discussed. These early messages can become invisible rules that shape your financial decisions as an adult.
2. Society & Cultural Expectations
Women are often expected to be "smart shoppers," stretching a budget rather than making bold financial moves. Meanwhile, men are encouraged to take risks and pursue wealth. This messaging can subtly push women toward financial caution, rather than confidence and ambition.
Additionally, the country and culture you grew up in play a significant role in shaping your financial mindset, reinforcing or challenging societal expectations. Some cultures encourage ambition and striving for more, while others prioritize stability and staying within societal norms. Certain societies promote credit and spending, whereas others emphasize savings and frugality. These influences inevitably shape your financial beliefs and, consequently, your actions.
3. Friends & Social Circles
Ever felt uncomfortable when a friend earns more than you or embarrassed about discussing your financial struggles? The way our circle talks about money—whether it’s complaining about bills or glorifying spending—affects how we view our own financial situation and how we tend to act.
The hidden Self-Limiting Beliefs holding you back
These influences can quietly shape self-limiting beliefs like:
"I’ll never be able to afford that" or "I will never have that kind of car/house/vacation."
"You need to come from money or have financial security to start a business."
"I'm not smart enough to learn about finances" or "Investing is only for rich people" or "Financial success is something only certain types of people achieve."
Or if your idea of becoming rich revolves around winning the lottery, inheriting from a distant relative, or marrying a wealthy person—always relying on luck or external factors rather than your own actions, effort, or merit.
The problem? These thoughts don’t just exist in your mind—they influence every financial decision you make. They determine whether you ask for a raise, invest in yourself, take the leap into entrepreneurship, or take any step towards whatever it is that you really want.
Unlearning and Rebuilding a powerful Money Mindset
The best part of all this? If you just found out that your Money Mindset is limiting you, you can rewire your mindset around money so that it empowers you instead. How?
1️⃣ Question everything you’ve been told
Next time you catch yourself thinking, "I can't afford this" or "Money is stressful", pause. Ask yourself: Is this actually true, or is it just something I was conditioned to believe? Flip the narrative: "How can I afford this?" or "What can I learn to make money easier to manage?". Other times this change will sound like "Once I get the funding I need" instead of "If I get the funding I need", or "Once I have the money saved to do it" instead of "If I could save enough money to do it", bringing ownership and empowering you.
Direct action: Today observe your thoughts about money and pick one. Then think about ways to transform it. One minute of your life, powerful results! Repeat as much as possible or needed.
2️⃣ Embrace a Learning Mindset
Finances aren’t just for Wall Street experts. You don’t need a finance degree to understand how to budget, save, or invest—you just need a willingness to learn. Start small. Read books, listen to podcasts, follow people who make financial education accessible... whatever it is that you digest better and grow from there. The more you know, the less difficult or hard it will feel.
Direct action: Start following a Social Media account that talks about Money and Finances (and follow me too if you're not doing it yet!), or a Podcast—if you're a woman, I recommend it to follow more women created content for better affinity and approach. Also, find at least one circle where you feel safe and comfortable sharing some financial information, discussing financial topics, and learning without judgement. In the beginning they might be similar to you to make it easier to open, but in time you'll see that anyone's story can be interesting and useful to grow your financial knowledge, views and perspective.
3️⃣ Challenge your emotional reactions to Money
Do you feel a twinge of envy when someone succeeds financially? Do you find yourself resenting people who struggle with money? These feelings can be signals of deeper beliefs. Wealth doesn’t make someone greedy, just like financial struggle doesn’t make someone lazy or ignorant. When you break these emotional associations, you free yourself to build your own financial success without guilt or fear. Because you are not defined by the number in your bank account, and no one is. Life is long, and many things can happen that will put anyone, including you, in very different scenarios. So learn to observe without judgment, especially avoiding toxic emotions. And again, you'll grow.
Direct action: Stop and observe your feelings and emotions about money and pick one. Then think if this feeling is helping you, empowering you, and uplifting you, or on the contrary it is diminishing you, making your world and options smaller, or creating resentments. You'll not only improve your relationship with money but also your mental health and well-being, and even your relationships with others by transforming greed into ambition, envy into inspiration, or disdain into compassion.
4️⃣ Take Action, even if it feels small
Nothing shifts a mindset like action. So after you take all the direct actions I suggested above, believe me, you'll start seeing some changes. Then, continue taking action—each step more intentional: open that savings account, ask for that raise, learn about investing, ask your friend about that side job you're curious about, start that business, even if it's just researching ideas, or whatever action that gets you closer to your goals and/or more aligned to your values.
The more you do, the more you change. The more you try a new approach and line of thinking, the more you prove to yourself that change is possible and that whatever you thought was out of reach will become reachable too—not immediately or easily, but definitely possible and within your reach.
The Money Mindset Shift for Entrepreneurs and Business Owners
I want to make a little entry about this because if you dream of running a business, your money mindset is even more crucial. Many women, in particular, hold back from scaling their businesses due to fear. Fear of charging what they’re worth (a very common one!). Fear of taking financial risks. Fear of failing. Does this sound familiar?
Your business will only grow as much as your mindset allows it to. If you believe money is scarce, you’ll price too low (happens too often!). If you see finances as overwhelming, you’ll avoid learning about Cash Flow. But if you start viewing money as a tool—one that can work for you—you’ll learn how to manage it effectively and make choices that drive long-term success.
It’s Time to Take Control
If there’s one idea I want you to take away today, it’s this: Your financial future isn’t set in stone. You have the power to rewrite your money story—starting today—by shifting your Money Mindset. The first step? Awareness. The second? Action. The third? Surround yourself with people who encourage financial consciousness and growth.
I want that for you. Follow me on Instagram as @martafores_coach to keep the conversation going, and subscribe below ⤵️ to be the first to receive my new posts, access exclusive content, and get special promotions.
If you have any questions or would like to share your thoughts on this post, feel free to contact me at coach@martafores.com.
