If your financial situation isn’t improving, the problem isn’t just your income, or your job, or even your budget. The problem lies in how you think. And in this piece, we will explore the 7 pivots you must make to radically shift your financial life.
Upgrade Your Money Mindset begins here: you’ll need to brutal-honestly face the way you think about money, wealth and what’s possible for you.
Because if you’re running the same mental programming that got you into this mess… you’ll stay stuck.
Let’s break down the seven truths you need to embrace — and I’ll walk you through why they matter, how they manifest in real life, and what to do instead. No fluff. No sugar-coating. Just raw, actionable perspective.
1. Your Thinking Is the Barrier — Not the Economy
You tell yourself: “I’m stuck because of the economy, the job market, my region, my background.”
But guess what: the real block is in your thinking — how you see your situation, what stories you tell yourself.
Take the story of a woman who refused to leave Maryland because she thought moving would cost too much. Meanwhile I had almost zero income, no stable place to live, and still moved multiple times. The difference? A different mindset.
When you assume “I can’t because it’s too expensive,” you’re staying in the same brain pattern that keeps your finances flat. If you don’t expand how you think, your results won’t improve.
What to do instead: Ask yourself, “How can I make this happen?” “What is one action I can take today to shift the odds?” Then do something — experiment, test one new strategy, one new environment, one new idea. If it fails, try again. Diversify your thinking like you’d diversify investments.
2. Scarcity vs. Abundance
You might feel like there’s only a limited amount of money, that someone else getting rich means you lose out: “They have, so I don’t.”
This mindset locks you into a victim loop. If your thinking is “lack,” your future will mirror that.
There is always more than enough — knowledge, income streams, assets, opportunity.
Someone else got financially free? That proves it’s possible for you too.
You just need to step up and take massive action.
What to do: Shift from “I can’t raise my income” to “How can I raise my income?”
Identify one skill you can improve, one side hustle you can test, one network you can join. Then believe you can and take MASSIVE ACTION.
Because the roadmap? It’s all out there. Information, mentors, tech — they’re all waiting. You just have to engage.
3. Living Within vs. Above Your Means
If you’re reading this and living paycheck to paycheck, inundated by debt, unsure how you’ll cover the next bill — stop.
Ask yourself: Am I living within my means, or am I living above them?
Many people don’t feel “rich,” but their expense structure is set for someone earning more than they currently do.
Living within your means is non-negotiable if you want to build real wealth. If you’re spending more than you earn (or barely equal), you’ll never have money to invest, to build, to grow.
What to do: Track every dollar. (Yes, kill the ego and do it.) Find one area where you’re “pretending” to live at a higher level — scale it back. Set a budget that lets you funnel money into growth (investments, side businesses) rather than consumption.
4. Self-Education Is Your Fuel
Did you get into this financial mess with a certain level of knowledge, habits, beliefs? Yeah — most of us did.
So the answer is not just earning more. It’s elevating your mindset, your habits, your input, your peer group. Self-education — books, mentors, seminars, podcasts — is how you rewire your brain for growth.
The more you read, the more you challenge your current level of thinking.
The more you do this, the more you adopt behaviors that lead to better financial outcomes.
What to do: Commit to reading one good finance/business growth book this quarter. Attend one seminar or virtual event outside your comfort zone. Find a mentor or peer who’s already where you want to be. And ask yourself after every day: What did I learn that moves me closer to different results?
5. Exposure to Better People = Better Outcomes
You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. If your circle accepts “good enough,” your results will mirror “good enough.”
Contrast: I grew up around men who already had millions. That exposure expanded my vision — it made the possibility real, not just “maybe someday.”
Exposure to people who challenge you, raise your bar, introduce you to opportunities you didn’t think possible — this is critical.
What to do: Audit your circle. Who do you hang out with? Are they growing, stable, ambitious? If not, reduce time there. Find one person this month who scares you a little (in a good way) — someone you admire, whose life you could model. Reach out. Offer value. Learn.
6. Minimalism Over Materialism
Let’s be clear: owning nice things doesn’t mean you’re financially free. Far from it.
Materialism = wanting stuff to feel better.
Minimalism = buying what aligns with your values and keeps you free.
People distracted by “things” are often chaining themselves to debt, stress, upkeep, constant worry. Minimalists focus on what truly matters: freedom, choice, investments, experiences.
What to do: Walk into your living space. Ask: “If I sold half this stuff, how much debt would I reduce? How much freedom would I gain?” Trim one unnecessary subscription. Sell one item that’s more burden than joy. Then redirect that money into something that builds — not just comforts.
7. You Can’t Afford Not to Invest
You might be saying: “I’m barely staying afloat. I can’t invest.”
That’s what everyone says before the breakthrough. Because saving alone won’t make you rich. Interest rates on savings accounts don’t move the needle. You need assets. Investments. Ownership. That’s how wealth compounds.
When you keep avoiding investing because you “can’t afford it,” what you’re really saying is: “I don’t believe I’ll ever earn more.” Change that. Pay yourself first.
What to do: Choose one asset class you understand: stocks, index funds, real estate crowdfunding, peer-to-peer lending, or your own side business.
Set up an automatic contribution. Treat it like a bill you must pay. Then you will figure out how to pay the rest of the bills.
Why This Isn’t Just “Another Financial Article”
Because we’re not pretending this is comfortable. I’m not going to tell you: “Just work harder, stick to the 4-week budget, and you’ll be fine.” No. That’s the same old thinking.
You’re smarter than that. You’re better than that. But you’ve been running default programs: “I’m stuck,” “I can’t,” “This is expensive,” “This is just life.” That crapshell stops now.
If you keep your thinking rooted in limitation, you’re going to keep those financial results. If you shift your mindset, you shift your outcomes.
The Mindset Shift — Recap
- Replace “I can’t move / I’m limited” mindset with “I’ll find a way.”
- Replace “There’s not enough” mindset with “There’s more than enough for me if I act.”
- Replace “Living above my means” with “Living within my means so I can build.”
- Replace “Learning the bare minimum” with “Constantly educating, evolving, challenging myself.”
- Replace “Stuck in the same circle” with “Upgrading who I spend time with.”
- Replace “Material-first” with “Freedom-first.”
- Replace “I can’t invest yet” with “I’ll make investing a priority now.”
A Real-World Example — You in Six Months
Imagine six months from now. You’ve applied this mindset shift.
- You moved (or you didn’t, but you changed something big).
- You raised your income by $5k–$10k (or at least created a path to).
- You cut your spending in one major category.
- You spent time with someone who challenged you.
- You invested $200/month automatically.
- You unloaded one debt or one asset that was dragging you.
- You read one book that changed your perspective.
Now look at your bank account, at your anxiety about money, at your stress level. The difference? Not necessarily the dollar amount — the difference is your confidence. Your belief. Your thinking.
Because when you change your thinking, you change your future.
Massive Action Is Uncomfortable
Upgrading Your Habits Is Uncomfortable
Don’t expect this shift to be comfortable. Your current thinking is familiar.
Your current beliefs are safe. Abandoning them means you’ll feel unstable for a while. That’s ok. It’s the price you pay for growth.
If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’ve got.
Upgrade your thinking. Then your money will follow.