7 Important Feelings and Your Financial Freedom

Today I’m blogging about 7 Important Feelings and Your Financial Freedom.

I didn’t recognize the importance of my feelings for a long time but they are extremely important. I learned this lesson the hard way.

When I was feeling very sad, fearful and depressed I got into debt. I didn’t understand at the time how to understand and cherish my own feelings.

Now I do and my life has gotten much better. I’m going to teach you about 7 important feelings and how they can affect your Financial Freedom.

Feeling #1 – Happiness

The best way to describe this feeling is when you lose track of time, and you just love everything around you. The key to your financial freedom is to understand that your happiness is key.

Without happiness, financial freedom has no meaning.

So we start with this emotion. Always do things that make you happy.

Look for activities, people, places that make you happy and do more of that.

When I started climbing out of debt and a great sadness, I remember reading The 4 Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferris. In that book he had a process where you figure out your dreams and start doing them.

At the time I wanted to surf everyday, and I realized that all I had to do to make that dream come true was to wake up early enough to go out before work. So I did and boy did I feel happy!

You have to choose to be happy and to do things that bring you happiness.

Feeling #2 – Sadness

It’s ok to feel sadness. I think of it like falling rain because when I’m sad I usually cry. I notice that when I cry I feel this immense sadness but when I finish crying, I feel better.

It’s important to feel your feelings and understand that everyone feels sadness. It’s natural and normal, just like rainy weather.

If you let yourself feel the sadness it passes like showers and makes you appreciate life in a different way.

When I started blogging I remember connecting with a blogging Network Marketing company. I remember that when my leader and most of our team left the company I felt a great sadness for months. I kept resisting it and one day a friend told me what you resist persists.

So I decided to just feel the sadness, and it eventually passed.

It’s ok to feel all of our feelings, including sadness. Once it passes, go back to your happy activities.

Feeling #3 – Guilt and Shame

We all feel guilt and shame at some point. I felt immense guilt when I went into debt. It’s ok if you feel guilt and shame but it’s important to forgive yourself.

This is a deeply personal process that only you can do for yourself. It may be a quick process once you realize how you are feeling, or it might be a long and slow process.

Are you someone who forgives others but can’t forgive yourself?

Or are you someone who can’t forgive easily?

It’s important to notice how you feel about guilt, shame and forgiveness.

In order to experience true freedom, you need to forgive yourself.

Feeling #4 – Excitement

When you are extremely excited it’s easy to get really caught up in the emotion. I’ve gotten really excited and it feels really good.

However, if you make spur of the moment financial decisions when you are caught up in the excitement of a moment, you may find it difficult to become financially free.

I remember going to the Millionaire Mindset Seminar, and I was so excited to sign up for their advanced courses that I ran down the room and gave them my credit card. Then we found out it cost a lot of money ($10,000). I paid anyway and it took me years to pay it off.

I have since learned how sales work, hype and all kinds of tactics to get people to buy things. Now if I’m thinking of making a large purchase or large financial decision, I never make it at the spur of the moment. I understand the excitement will pass but the bill won’t.

I’ve learned that excitement does not last like the feeling of happiness does. It’s more powerful and often has a downside after it passes.

In order to go from excitement to happiness it’s important to understand that there is always balance in life.

Extreme feelings like excitement pass by too and when they are here or gone, life still goes on and life is still perfect.

Feeling #5 – Anger

Sometimes I get really angry, and sometimes I think I know the reason and sometimes I honestly couldn’t tell you why.

Once I got angry at my now ex boyfriend, and decided to pay for a seminar for him even though I knew he couldn’t pay me back. I wanted to spend enough money on him so that I would resent him enough to break up with him. It’s wierd right?

Anyways, I didn’t know that was what I was doing at the time.

I was being immature and petty with my money. I let anger influence me to make pretty poor decisions.

If I’m angry and I’m not sure why then I do a few things.

I usually check my body.

Am I tired?

Am I hungry?

If my body is fine then I often go somewhere where I can be alone to sort whatever it is I am angry about out.

Meditation works for me too.

I sit still and notice and feel the anger.

I ask myself, what is causing the anger?

I also let myself know that the anger will pass.

I don’t want to attack others or make any major decisions when I’m angry. I guess it’s like a thunder and lightning storm. Stay safe and wait for it to pass.

Feeling #6 – Meloncholy or Boredom

This feeling happens when I’m denying the good that is around me. If I’m looking truthfully at everything around me then I am never meloncholy or bored.

There are no ordinary moments.

I had this realization when I was walking up the stairs in my bank to deliver something. The stairs are very bland and the walls are white. I realized one day that I had believed that walking the stairs was like a time out from real life or something. But the stairs are just as amazing as the view from our conference room windows.

I like to notice the miracles of life everywhere, and practice feeling grateful for everything.

Sometimes I feel boredom if I’m with someone or in a situation that I find boring.

All I have to do is ask “How can I make this fun and interesting?”

When I worked at the bank, I used to make photocopies and file papers. I found that if I listened to audio books while doing it I found it fun and interesting.

I was doing my taxes yesterday and normally I would find it kind of boring, but I did it while helping a friend do his. It was much more fun that way.

Be creative and find ways to make the ordinary very fun and interesting!

Feeling #7 – Anxiety

The last feeling that has a major impact on finances is anxiety or fear. I find that usually I’m over reacting to whatever it is I am anxious about.

A good cure for anxiety is exercise or going outside in nature.

Getting enough sleep also helps, and if you have difficulty sleeping then meditation might be the answer.

Usually I do a trick where I reframe the situation.

For example, if I’m anxious because I have to do a report for work, I might pretend that I’m my boss instead. Then I can see and feel that my boss might really need that report because he has a project that he needs to complete for his or her boss. I then don’t feel so anxious because I realize not everything is about me or dependent on me. I’m part of a team, or a community.

Anxiety, worry and fear are usually caused by too much focus on the self and too much thought out of the present and into the future. There’s so much going on in the world all the time. Whatever is going on with me right now is my main concern.

The future is uncertain and there are so many other people and things in this world to be self centered.

Breathing slowly and deeply can help a lot with anxiety.

Exercise, running and swimming can also help.

Conclusion

These 7 feelings are very important for you and your financial freedom. Understanding that it’s important to self reflect everyday on what you are feeling.

Let yourself feel your emotions in safe spaces with people who you feel safe with.

Be ok with the fact that we are emotional beings, and usually our emotions are signals that we need to pay attention to.

Now that I am more aware of my feelings and also meditate every morning and every evening, my finances and my life have been more stable and enjoyable.

I hope you enjoyed this post and please leave a comment on your thoughts or insights on emotions and financial freedom.