Psychology has been used by business as a tool for influencing people and making money. Consultants actively use psychological techniques of neuro-linguistic programming to train managers in sales, negotiation and PR.
System constellations and elements of group psychology are used in the field of industrial conflict resolution, strategic management, and even project management. For example, the Agjle method, which is often used in IT project management, is based on group psychology and reflection.
However, psychologists do little to examine the psychology of rich people and the psychology of money. In general, this is understandable. Psychologists are mostly approached by people with family or work relationship problems. As a rule, these are neurotics with resentment towards themselves, loved ones and life, or people prone to depression and obsessive fears.
But their psychological needs are a manifestation of the tip of the iceberg. The basis is always the basic problems of the individual — self-acceptance, self-esteem, love and belief in yourself. These problems lead to the inability to adapt, socialize in a team, take responsibility for own life, lack of the desire to be a leader, carry other people along and start up a business.
As a result, personal psychological problems are redoubled by financial issues. People have been living for years in unloved work or staying without work at all. They feel their own uselessness, they lose their sense of meaning in life. Our thoughts are driveing us into a stress and depression, and the body increases the production of cortisol, the stress hormone.
All it creates a dangerous circle of stable negative neural connections in the brain and biochemical processes in the body (negative causal relationships or karma, if you like), which leads us to the same repeated negative results and situations in life like:
“Negative thoughts — Stupid decisions — Foolish actions — Negative results”
Instinctively, our brain tries to protect us and reduce the level of stress hormones in the body through the search and activation of pleasure zones. Some of us find a relief in creativity, esotericism, spirituality, austerity, in a healthy lifestyle, in sports.
We are trying to literally run away from stress. That is why various marathons like Ironmen, schools of healthy lifestyles are so popular. I must say that this is the most innosent way to cope with depression and stress. Unfortunately, most of us find easier ways to raise the levels of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine (happiness hormones) through alcohol, overeating, drugs, excess sex, extreme sports associated with risk to life.
Of course, with the growth of wealth and the economy, the financial problems of most people objectively decrease, which reduces the level of stress and its bad effects on our life. But still this does not solve the problem of self-identity, self-fulfillment and self-estimation. Victor Frankl in his book “The Basic Concepts of Logo-Therapy” wrote, that the so-called collective neogenic neurosis is characteristic of modern Europeans, and which consists in the loss of “Der Wille zum Sinn” or “Striving to meaning”.
Among my clients in Europe and the CIS, there are more and more people with good wealth level, who have achieved career success, but who have lost their meaning and taste for life, are disappointed in people, in the social structure of society, in the world and in God.
People who have a fairly high level of material security often are frustrated and have not a desire to do something meaningful. On the one hand, security and prosperity are great, on the other hand, people have no incentive to develop and move to a new level. It is easier to remain cogs in the debugged mechanism. There are no needs to be engaged in self-development or education, entrepreneurship or investing, if there is a stable salary that allows you to have a home, cover current living expenses, and spend a couple of times per year on Majorca or the Canary Islands. And at the end of life, honestly having worked 40 years in one place, receive a well-deserved retirement pension.
Of course, everything collapses in moment of financial and economic crises, inflation and currency devaluation, which still happens in the capitalist world. Mass unemployment are forcing many people to move and look for alternatives. Moreover, in Europe there is a state policy to support entrepreneurship and protect the middle class. This creates social stability and reduces the impact of global crises on economies.
In the countries of the former Soviet Union, the situation is somewhat different. We have only been living in the conditions of “wild” capitalism for the past 25 years. In our collective consciousness respect for private property begins to take root only recently. Many people are beginning to understand the need to create personal wealth, that can be inherited by their children and grandchildren.
In our collective consciousness, attitudes toward money and private property, and to rich people in general, are changing. We begin to understand and recognize that money is not an evil, but an opportunity. It is our concentrated energy, which is equal to the belief in what we are doing multiplied by vigorous action. It is the equivalent of the benefit to society that our actions bring.
But changing your attitudes, understanding the value of money and raising their priority in our lives is not enough. It is necessary to have an adequate environment, the ability to act, as well as the ability to quickly learn and gain practical knowledge for doing business or investing, which are not provided by any university or the MBA program.
But even having knowledge — the most difficult stage for many of us is to overcome the various doubts and fears that block our actions and mitigate our motivation to move forward. In this respect, psychologists could provide people, who are starting their business with an invaluable help. Unfortunately, there are no psychologists among successful entrepreneurs, and there are no successful entrepreneurs among psychologists. These two worlds are required completely different skills and different psychological set of mind.
Because of my specialization, I often have to work with directors or owners of CIS enterprises, who are tired of the constant pressure of their management teams, the stress of competition, economic and political instability in our markets. They really need competent psychological support, but they will only be trusted to those psychologists, who themselves have experience in successfully resolving difficult business situations.
Based on my experience in entrepreneurship and psychological consulting of business owners, I can say that people, who have achieved success in business differ psychologically from other people:
— they think more than others about, where and how to make money;
— they are pragmatic and realistic;
— tend to figure out the situation for many steps forward and act quickly;
— sociable, able to appeal and pleased people;
— able to persuade and influence people;
— always clearly and directly talk about, what they want from others;
— their thoughts are aimed at finding a solution in a difficult situation;
— they are not inclined to blame themselves or others for failures;
— every time they get on their feet after failure and not be afraid to start again;
— looking for opportunities even in a crisis;
— they set goals, believe in them and go towards them despite obstacles;
— for them, the necessary is desirable, and the desired is possible.
The list goes on. However, I think that the difference in the psycho-types of ordinary people and entrepreneurs should be the subject of a separate psychological study and publications.
However, in this article I would like to summarize the psychological techniques that I use in working with clients, who have a request for financial independence:
— awareness of the value of money and increasing their priority;
— awareness of negative beliefs about money (own and family);
— changing negative beliefs about money;
— awareness of their own “cash limit” and its extension;
— setting up and testing of financial goals by neurological levels of Robert Dilts;
— creating a financial strategy maps and tactical plan;
— support in the implementation of the plan and the formation of needed habits and skills;
— elaboration of fears and blocks during the implementation of the financial strategy and plan.
Unfortunately, if I describe all the techniques in the article, I end up with a scientific treatise. Therefore, I will give only one of the techniques associated with an increase in personal money ceiling.
For many clients, increasing their own “cash limit” becomes a challenge. I think many people have noticed the fact, that you cannot manage to save money beyond a certain amount. As soon as the magic sum is reached, you are immediately getting an irresistible desire to spend it. And this situation is repeated time after time.
It is a psychological phenomenon that I call a “cash limit”. The amount as such can be different for each person. In our unconscious, under the influence of family history, personal experience and the influence of the environment, was formed a “sufficient amount”, above which your brain does not have the sense to strain.
This limit can only be expanded by explaining to your unconscious, why you need more money. And this question is closely connected with faith in what you are doing or, according to Viktor Frankl, with your “Striving to Meaning”.
When you manage to convince your unconscious part of the psyche in the great sense of what you want to realize and “substantiate” the necessary amount of financial resources that are needed to realize your plans, most of the fears and blocks along this path scatter by themselves. Energy arises, motivation increases, based on faith in what you do. You cannot sit still, you act. You constantly make plans and are happy to meet a new day, because it gives you a chance to bring your plans to a reality.
Your goals are realized by themselves, the right people appear in your life and the right events happen at the right time. You are in a resource, on your wave and able to achieve a lot in a short time. It is easy for you to involve other people, because people are drawn to you, to your energy, to your faith.
In my opinion, this state is the basis of the psychology of success and wealth. The more your faith in what you do, the more often you are in a resource-phase, the faster your goals are achieved, the higher your life results.
Achieving this state and removing blocking believes is the main goal during training at # SELF-Academy.
Technique to increase the cash limit
— determine the level of your current expenses per month by expenditure items;
— write down your current monthly income level;
— determine the net amount of cash flow per month, which you can allocate to savings or investments;
— decide what part of this amount you will save, which to invest, and with what yield;
— think about the possible cash flow per month from investments and savings;
— whether this flow covers your current expenses, whether you can no longer work;
If your answer is Yes, then I congratulate you, you have already achieved financial security, but this is not a financial independence and not a financial freedom yet.
— if your answer is No, then calculate how many years you need to accumulate your fixed capital at the current level of income and expenses, that the income from savings and investments covers the level of your current expenses;
— if you need to finance a certain purchase from your capital, consider this in the calculations above;
— tell yourself if you really need your purchase, what you will feel when you get what you want;
— to check this, visualize your purchase in the material world (house, car, yacht, travel, education for children);
— ask yourself what you feel, when you see yourself getting what you want in the real world;
— describe in detail like to a foreigner, who understands your language poorly, how do you feel about your materialized goal;
— if you do not have anxiety and discomfort, then your goal is friendly for you and your unconscious will not block it;
— if there is an alarm, you need to figure out what blocks you and resolve the conflict according to special technique, or reconsider the goal.
When you test your desire and decide on the amount needed to realize it, when you understand and accept the fact that to realize the desire you need a large amount of earnings, your money limit will be mentally “broken through”.
In this case, I can congratulate you, you are ready for the next step — for the creation of strategy and tactic to financial independence or financial freedom.
But this is another story. Next steps you will learn during the course “Master of the Game”.
If you stuck in your career and business, do not satisfied with your current cash flow, enroll in our course “Master of the Game”. We will be happy to help you!
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