to emerge. When faced with a
challenging financial situation,
consider your answers to these
questions:
•
•
•
•
If there were a really good
reason this was happening,
what could it be?
Am I open to the possibility
this is happening for me and
not to me?
How can I be creative in the
face of this adversity?
When I get through this, what
skills will I have developed
(learning how to be more
frugal, more assertive, calmer
in the face of pressure, or
more focused on the most
important things)?
•
In one year, will I still be upset
by this?
•
If it were five years from now
and I was telling a friend
about this situation, I would
tell them I learned...
CREATE FINANCIAL
TRANQUILITY
Another way to stay in the
Prosperity Zone and away
from Scare-City is to build your
self-calming skills. Having the
ability to soothe yourself during
turbulent financial times is crucial
for effective money management.
Creativity and a clear head are
indispensable at precisely the
time when these nervous feelings
limit your ability to find optimal
solutions. That’s why you need
to use techniques to still your
mind, help you feel calm, and
improve your ability to accept
the present circumstances. From
this place of calm, you can move
forward and implement new
strategies. So, how can you relax
the grip of worry? Here’s one of
my favorite strategies:
BREATHE YOUR
FINANCIAL STRESS
AWAY
Sounds too simplistic? Humor
me and try it. Take in a full deep
breath. Breathe in through your
nose to the count of four: one,
two, three, four. Now exhale to the
count of six: one, two, three, four,
five, six. Try it again. Inhale: one,
two, three, four. Exhale: one, two,
three, four, five, six. One more time.
Inhale: one, two, three, four. Exhale:
one, two, three, four, five, six. How
do you feel? A little more relaxed?
Stress also changes how you
make decisions. Research reveals
that when people are under stress
they tend to focus on positive
factors and ignore negative ones
as they make decisions. For
example, stressed-out people
considering a new job might let
themselves be more influenced
by a higher salary than by a
horrific commute. Researchers
also found that stress increases
the differences in the ways men
and women look at risk. When
stress rises for men, they tend to
increase their risk, whereas when
stress rises for women, they get
more conservative about risk.
Focusing on your breathing, and
therefore reducing your stress,
can actually help you to become
healthier, wealthier, and savvier.
GET TO “I KNOW
I’LL BE OKAY”
If there were a welcome sign in
the Prosperity Zone, it would say,
78 | Eydis Magazine
“You Will Be Okay.” Of course, you
want to be more than “okay,” but
beginning with this as a baseline
belief is huge in terms of financial
confidence. Getting to this point
will be different for everyone. It
takes self-knowledge and financial
action. Running the numbers is
often only part of the equation.
Internal awareness is also crucial.
What will it take for you to be
confident in your financial future?
This is a very personal question.
Maybe you feel that as long as you
have a roof over her head, you
know you’ll be okay. This might lead
you to putting extra money toward
paying down your mortgage. Or
perhaps it’s supporting yourself
rather than relying on anyone else