You May Have These Five Money Blocks If You Grew Up Middle Class
/One of the themes Money & Mimosas will be exploring this year is class identity. How it is formed, why it exists, and how it may hold someone back from their fullest potential. Class structures have existed since ancient civilizations and continue to play a major role in society. Even in countries, like the United States, which claim to be the land of opportunity for all.
The insidious pervasiveness of class in the United States upheld by its capitalist system embodies a strange familiarity to the feudalist structure of Medieval Europe. Insidious because of the collective denial of how folks are still born into a class that may limit their potential. History may not repeat itself, but it certainly rhymes.
Feudalism versus Capitalism
The capitalist system in the United States was, in part, born out of a strong hatred for the feudal system. Sure, American education teaches its children that the States was born out of the desire for religious freedom. Well, that is only a part of the story. Dare I say, a very tiny part of the story. The larger part of this story is the desire for economic freedom. The founding fathers of the United States were up to their eyeballs in debt. They wanted no taxation without representation and they wanted to be a part of the elite class. But, the elite class was not accessible to them because they were born with the wrong last names.
Therefore, the birth of capitalism came from a desire for upward mobility. And to the credit of capitalism, it has accomplished this. It created a solid middle class. The construction of the middle class in the United States was revolutionary. It was the first time an economic-social-cultural system allowed for a relatively large group of folks to access prosperity. It was the first time a large group of folks could reasonably expect to live better lives than their parents.
But now, much of that is slipping away. The middle-class squeeze is being felt across the country manifesting in an affordable housing crisis in resort towns, student loan defaults at a rapid speed, and rising inflation eating away at stagnant wages.
These harsh realities are not new for some communities, but since it is now affecting the Karens, Beckys, and their white male counterparts, the news has made the discussion front and center. The current question on the top of many Americans’ minds is - sure, capitalism created an opportunity for upward mobility, but for whom?
Financial wellness
While there needs to be a healthy critique of the capitalist system, this article will focus on the individual. This is not to suggest that the responsibility falls on the individual to figure out how to financially thrive in an exploitative system, but rather it is an acknowledgment that one can not wait for the powers that be to get off their asses and do something. Therefore, I am beginning this series of articles covering how the middle-class mindset holds the individual back from unlocking their abundance and tending to their financial health.
As I have taught in my classes for Google employees, the U.S. Small Business Administration, and other organizations, your financial health is comprised of three components.
Financial wellness - the practice of building wealth without compromising your values.
Money mindset - just like you need to fuel your body with wholesome foods, you need to feed your mind with wealthy thoughts.
Money aura- just like you have a relationship with food, you have a relationship with money. Either it is a healthy relationship (a radiant aura) or it is unhealthy (a dull aura). And yes, this on a spectrum.
Money mindset is a relatively new topic in the mainstream financial education world and money aura is practically non-existent. Sure, we have had popular books such as Think and Grow Rich and movies such as The Secret, but the gems that are shared in these resources are rarely taken seriously by the so-called money gurus shoved down our throats by mainstream media who would rather focus on giving advice on how to budget $50 than how to create $5 million. The reason why money mindset and money aura is so powerful is because they drive your feedback loop. The actions you take and the results you experience are driven by your thoughts and beliefs.
Feedback loop.
Until you operate from an abundant money mindset and intentionally develop a radiant money aura, the actions you take - and subsequently the results you produce - will not measure up to the fullness of the abundance you desire to experience. This is why this first article will focus on the five money blocks created by the middle-class money mindset.
The middle-class money mindset
Block #1: Holding hard work as a virtue
For many folks that grow up middle class, they were taught that hard work and a good attitude will get them ahead in life. While this is in part true, it fails to acknowledge the many other factors at play. Factors such as the energy of money and the fact that the system is rigged to favor a very small few. Burning the midnight oil, hustling and grinding, will produce short-term success and long-term burn out.
When you embody the fact that money is energy, you will intuitively learn how to attract financial abundance with play and pleasure, rather than grinding 24/7/365. Additionally, when you accept that the system has been built and maintained to favor a very small few, you will stop being a goodie two shoes and start owning your full power.
Location: Phoenix, Arizona. Photographer: Brianna Doe.
Block #2: Sacrificing your needs for the community
The ongoing tension in financial discussions is socialism vs. capitalism (on the collective level) and self vs. other (on the individual level). There is a balance that needs to be found between the two, and each person needs to discover what that balance is for themselves. This tension is especially alive within many folks who were raised middle-class. On one hand, you know how necessary it is to take care of the community due to the harsh systemic inequities. On the other hand, continuing to put others first is like putting on someone else’s oxygen mask before taking care of yourself. Learning how to maintain strict financial boundaries with friends and family while also remaining altruistic is one of the biggest keys to being financially liberated.
Block #3: Lack of a financial spiritual practice
For some folks raised middle class, you have been indoctrinated into the false belief that your intellect is the way to freedom. You have intellectualized money and therefore your body and spirit are completely disconnected from its energy. If it’s not verified by a scholar and has scores of supporting evidence, then it must not be true. This way of thinking, my darling, is keeping you financially small.
Creating a financial spiritual practice will help you reclaim your relationship with money. Once you develop a relationship with money then the symptoms of financial dysmorphia, financial anxiety, financial self-flagellation will begin to dissipate. To start, I recommend money mindfulness. Practicing money mindfulness brings self-awareness to your financial decisions. One simple money mindfulness practice is to have a weekly money date. Your weekly money date is a time to review your financial decisions, celebrate your wins, and reflect on how you can use your money to make a difference. To learn more about your weekly money date, watch this video.
Block #4: Spiritual bypass
Perhaps you’re already on board with manifesting and do believe in the law of attraction. You’re familiar with the goddess Lakshmi or the orisha Oshun to attract prosperity and manifest money. That’s great. Now, the work is about attracting abundance from a solid foundation. Manifesting is of the cosmos aka the stars. It is the high court. You can only access the high court once you are in alignment with the first court of order.
The first court of order is governed by the laws of nature aka planet Earth. Most folks like to focus on the Law of Attraction (the law of vibration) when they think about the laws of nature. But, there are six other laws including the law of cause and effect. Also known as the law of karma.
Healing your relationship with money is a necessary step before truly becoming a money magnet and manifesting abundance. Healing includes practicing self-forgiveness for past financial missteps and taking action to correct the financial trauma caused by abusive systems. Owning and correcting the harm of abusive financially abusive systems is especially true for white Americans. Skipping these steps is a form of spiritual bypass.
Block #5: Operating from a scarcity money mindset
Last, but certainly not least, unconsciously operating from a scarcity money mindset plays a huge role in creating money blocks. There is the abundant money mindset and the scarcity money mindset. The abundant money mindset operates from the core belief that there are more than enough financial resources to go around. It has a healthy balance of optimism with reality.
On the other hand, the scarcity money mindset operates from the core belief that there are not enough financial resources to go around. Its unhealthy relationship with money leads to financial rigidity that reduces one’s ability to think outside of the box and access to your creative essence.
Shifting from a scarcity money mindset to an abundant mindset requires mindfulness and a daily commitment. One daily practice you can implement is visualization. Every morning, spend five minutes visualizing whatever financial peace and financial fulfillment means to you. This practice will retrain your brain to believe in possibilities and elevate your money mindset to be more in the flow of abundance.
