Tackling Your Mindset: Change Your Thoughts to Change Your Wealth

You’ve had limited financial success but can’t seem to break through to the “big” time. So instead of wallowing in pity, you rationalized. You’ve convinced yourself that it’s not your time. Or you’ve convinced yourself that you’re truly content. 
Really? 

Each of us were designed for specific experiences. You may define “wealth” as quality of life or as money. For me, wealth refers to quality of life. Wealth is time flexibility, location independence, and the opportunity to learn and grow. Regardless of your definition, obtaining wealth facilitates our lived experiences. 

There are certain experiences that make us smile, laugh out loud, and/or want to do flips. For example, videos of my 2-year-old great nephew JJ always brighten my day. However, jumping in puddles with him will put me on Cloud Nine for days. I could settle for a life that allows me to watch videos. Or I can push for a life that gives me the time flexibility and location independence so that I can spend time with him. 

Pushing for that life led me to give my two weeks’ notice in April 2018. By May 2018, I was a full-time entrepreneur. While that sounds simple, what I did was burn the boat. I was Associate Dean (AD) in Liberal Arts at North Lake College. Four weeks before the end of the semester I said, “I’m out!” At that time, my Executive Dean had about seven months of experience, while I had four years’ experience as an AD in that department. I burnt that boat on purpose. I knew that I would return to that job if I could, convincing myself that I was content. 

I burnt that boat so that I could secure legacy wealth. I burnt that boat to honor the legacy of my 

Bigmama, who died in 2017. The fear of losing Bigmama’s fingerprint on my life shook me out of my self-imposed, lackluster acceptance of the status quo. Until her death, I was working for my way to a vice-presidency or presidency in higher education. After all, I had earned a doctorate for that very title. 

Now I am committed to confronting mindsets that produce experiences I tolerate rather than experiences I love. As a result, I’ve had some adventures – consultant, residential realtor, commercial realtor, tutor, etc. In my effort to build a life that I love, I’ve realized that I might not know when, where, or how I will generate revenue, but any opportunity I accept comes with time flexibility, location independence, and the opportunity to learn. Holding on to that conviction takes intentional, consistent development of my mindset.  

Pursuing legacy wealth is not for the faint of heart. It will test and challenge your role in all your relationships. For me, the hardest test was confronting my mindset concerning marriage roles. In April, my husband and I celebrated 20 years of married life. He is more risk-averse than I. When I became a full-time entrepreneur, we discussed and laid out the plan, the timeline, the safety net, etc. We were very naïve. Without a daily mindset practice, my love for him and my reaction to his concerns would have resulted in another full-time yet ho-hum job in higher education. 

My daily mindset practice is an adapted version of Hal Elrod’s SAVERS. The part that has had the most critical impact on me has been Appreciation and Affirmations. My day starts with writing or stating out loud what I appreciate and what I want to affirm. By starting my day with this practice, I take control of my thoughts. I focus on characteristics or values that I need to build and take the following form: 

“I am becoming _____ by doing _____ when _____ happens.” 

One of my first affirmations was, “I am becoming more focused by repeating my why, my goals, and my affirmations before breakfast, lunch, and dinner.” Believe it or not, I became more focused.  

Let’s face it, if knowing “how–to” was enough, we would all be skinny, rich, and happy. Brian Klemmer wrote a book with that very title. But if you are ready to secure legacy wealth, the first step is to tackle your mindset. You must intentionally tackle those habitual thoughts that are sabotaging your efforts. Your mindset is the foundation to every aspect of your life. You need a mindset routine just like you have a routine for your physical body and a budget for your finances. By changing your thoughts, you can change your life! 

Photo courtesy of the author

Dr. Yolanda Columbus is a Transformational Speaker, Real Estate Investor and mentor to small business owners.  In all of her roles, she challenges the status quo and facilitates change. She specializes in fear-setting, mindset development, and building wealth via real estate.