Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

For most people, when they hear “think about money", they go to what to do: how to save, cut costs, make more, invest, etc.

Thinking about how to think about money takes it to a level higher. This level is about understanding the mental structure that creates the decisions, the meaning we make, as well as the identity we have about ourselves with money.

Here are some differences in “thinking about money” and “thinking how to think about money”.

Thinking about money -

How do I make more money?

What should I invest in?

How much could I save?

Money is hard to make.

Money is the root of all evil.

Thinking about how I think about money-

What assumptions am I making money and treating it as facts?

Where did I pick up this belief about money?

What meaning am I giving money? ‘

What identity am I operating from when I’m making a financial decision?

Let’s take a common thought. Money is hard to make.

You’ve accepted this way of thinking about money, then build stories and strategies that support this thinking.

• You over work.

• You look for examples around you to confirm that money is hard to make.

• You accept slow growth.

• You tell yourself, it’s how it’s always been this way in my family.

• People like us have always struggled and it’s just how it is.

Now notice what happens when you question the thinking process and not money.

• Hard compared to what?

• Is it always hard or sometimes?

• Who said so and who decided that?

• Have there ever been a time when it wasn’t hard? And if so, is it universally true?

Most people don’t want to think about how they think, let alone how they think about money. It’s easier to think “it’s just how things are” and avoid thinking about how we think because it’s very uncomfortable to put the responsibility on our interpretations and thinking patterns. It’s easier to just say (again) “it’s just how things are” and not question our pattern, let alone, recognize that we have a thinking pattern that needs updating.

The automatic thinking pattern we have about money becomes our money model and becomes our money operating structure. That operating structure filters what opportunities you notice; what risks you take or avoid; how long you persist; how you price, sell, ask, follow and lead.

If you don’t change how you think about money, you will keep solving the same problems with the same thought process and tactics just at different levels and different numbers.

Next time you make any money-related decision, pause and ask:

1. “What must I believe right now for this decision to feel correct?”

2. “Is that belief objectively true—or just familiar?”

3. “If I believed the opposite, what would I do instead?”

That’s you stepping outside the automatic loop.

I get that this is not an easy practice. This is working against the many years of mental conditioning and more importantly, not letting the brain’s survival drive to remain on autopilot to conserve energy for survival.

Money has become the central theme in the modern world and so many of us hold limiting money models that have a chokehold on our ability to thrive and be at peace in our lives. Thinking about how we think about money could catalyze us to question our beliefs about money and start thinking more critically about our own and the collective thinking about money that will potentially release limiting mental money models.

Metaphors and idioms come from embodied experiences that are felt somatically. An example of the title “stuck in a rut”. Someone feeling like they are stuck in a rut, is usually not physically stuck in a rut and yet feel they are mentally stuck in a groove worn deep into a road or path by repeated use and can’t move forward, get out of the hole or change direction

Often, stuck in a rut implies boredom, stagnation and lack of momentum and willingness to break free from a habit and when it’s felt somatically, it’s reflected physically; in our body postures, movement and gestures to how we talk; the intonation, the articulation of expression.

But what happens when we change the somatic embodiment of the experience of the metaphor. Let’s explore…..and there is a lot to explore here.

Can you remember a time when you felt stuck in a rut? As you play along, notice what other metaphors or idioms come up, if any does show up.

What was that experience like?

What does the rut look like? Is it a deep or shallow groove? Does it feel like you fell into a hole that you can’t get out of? Is the rut rough or well worn and smooth?

What’s keeping you stuck? Is it your feet or wheels that stuck?

What does the ground look like that’s keeping you stuck, or is it the path that’s overgrown that you can’t move forward or maybe even an object that’s block your path forward?

You can play this game either with your eyes opened or closed and just see/imagine the scene of being stuck in a rut.

Does it feel or seem like a comforting rut, a frustrating rut, an angry rut, or any other feeling or emotion associated with the rut?

What is on the road or journey that you are trying to move towards but can’t because you’re stuck in a rut?

What was that experience like for you? What did you notice about the embodiment of the metaphor in your experience? Did you notice other metaphors?

Here’s my experience of remembering a time when I felt stuck in a rut.

As I look down at my feet, it’s like they were stuck a hole with concrete and my feet in the concrete. Where I’m on is a road, moving towards a bright, sunny, warm place. But I’m stuck in a hole with my feet in hard concrete. The road is clear and smooth, except for the concrete hole I’m stuck in. I’m not working hard to get out of the rut because it feels familiar, there’s actually a feeling of comfort because it feels so familiar. That part was very surprising for me.

These metaphors are alive in us personally as well as culturally. Becoming aware of our personal metaphors we can become aware of what’s shaping our behaviors and reactions.

If you played and want to share, would love to hear your experience.

What actually happens is some goals are barely touched on, others fall by the wayside two to three weeks in, and I’m back to my old habits, identity and ways of being.

This is the exact thing that I observed happening after my “commitment” to write every day and publish something a few times a week.

The resistance hit hard every day. The mental chatter of criticizing my lack of writing skills and the mental block of coming up with ideas to reflect on and write. The funny thing is that when I’m going about my day, there are plenty of insights that spontaneously pop up that would be interesting to sit with, reflect on and write on. However, when I take a moment to think about a topic, nothing comes to mind and all the insights previously reflected on is forgotten or if I have written them down, no longer is interesting enough (in my mind) to write about.

There are a few factors contributing to the resistance that I’m aware of and here are three:

1. If I can’t do it well, might as well not do it at all and just do the thing that I do well.

2. I don’t want to be judged. Being judged will make me feel like a failure.

3. If no one reads what I’m writing, the it’s a sign that I’m a failure.

To counter the resistance’s excuses, let’s start with the first factor that contributes to resistance.

By only doing the things that one is already competent at, then how can people learn new skill and broaden their horizon if they don’t try new things or skills. To stay with a new thing or skill and continue doing it after failing or doing it badly is where learning happens and skills deepen.

(This is from AI) Plus, learning new skills fundamentally rewires the brain through neuroplasticity, the process of forming new neural connections and strengthening existing ones. This adaptation enhances cognitive functions such as memory, attention, problem-solving, and cognitive flexibility.

Key physiological and psychological changes include:

• Increased Myelin Density: Practice increases myelin, a fatty substance that insulates nerve fibers, allowing electrical impulses to travel faster and making skill execution more efficient.

• Dopamine Release: The learning process stimulates dopamine release, which makes the experience rewarding and encourages repetition and consolidation.

• Memory Consolidation: Short rest periods during learning trigger “compressed memory replay,” where the brain reinforces neural pathways, leading to better performance and long-term retention.

• Mental Well-being: Acquiring skills boosts self-confidence, reduces stress, and fosters a growth mindset by providing a sense of purpose and mastery.

• Cognitive Reserve: Lifelong learning helps build a cognitive reserve that can slow the onset of Alzheimer’s and dementia by maintaining brain health and connectivity.

It makes more sense to try new things, develop new skills than to stay the same, doing the same things every day.

Second point, to avoid doing something to avoid being judged is a lot of avoiding happening. In reality, people don’t care and are not paying attention. Someone may initially judge the writing and in the next moment they’ve moved on and forgotten about it and me.

How many times have I been judged, criticized or been made fun of, and it may have stung but I can barely remember a specific incident. Who really cares if someone hates my writing or thinks it’s terribly written? This is a skill developing process that is for me, not for anyone else. Publishing it is a way to keep the focus on learning this skill to become better because someone may come across my writings and read it. So, at least make it interesting and readable to the best of my ability and keep getting better at this

Last point, if no one reads it, I’m a failure. As I’m writing this, I realize that thought is a logical fallacy, a false equivalence. How does no on reading my writings make me a failure? There are no goals to get X amount of readers, there are no thoughts of building an audience, yet. The goal is just to write every day. Then, it’s not writing every day means that I’m not following through on the goal, not failing or being a failure.

The point of starting this Substack was to just write every day, develop the skill of writing and finding inspiration on ideas that interest me to write about.

So, here I am, back at it. I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m here willing to write like a fool with typos, grammatical errors and all, with stories that no one finds interesting, but it’s all okay. This has become a self-development process that I’m interested in seeing where it takes me.

And so despite the fear of not being good enough or smart enough or learned enough, this is a start to writing. Writing to get clear on ideas and concepts that stay jumbled in my head, thinking I’ll reflect on it later. Later happens, but getting clear and un-jumbling thoughts, ideas and concepts don’t happen. So here I am, unpacking the jumbled containers of thoughts, ideas, concepts and so much more.

This feels scary, and doesn’t starting most things that we know we are not an expert in feel unsettling.

Here goes the start, warts and all; typos, grammar mistakes and all. Trusting this process will unravel the resistance to trying, doing or moving forward on new things.

I will write every day, but post may not happen every day. The commitment is to post minimum 3 times a week.

If by seemingly random chance anyone reads this and wishes to join in starting something new and scary, I’m cheering you on and congratulations on taking that step. And would love to hear about it.

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