Seeing is believing. You want to be able to see it, feel it, believe it. Financial freedom begins by believing. The more you believe you will earn more money, deserve to have money, the more likely you will get it. You want a money mind and not one that is rooted in poverty. The way it works is, when you feel better about yourself and your money, you will worry less, make better decisions, and be more creative; basically, by feeling better, you bring good things to you and are better able to deal with bad things. That’s why affirmations keep you focused and motivated. They will give you a sense of security and a sense of hope and keep your thoughts on the future. What you want is a result of how you think and feel. When you are burdened with negative thoughts all day, every day, you aren’t operating on your best. You won’t see solutions to your problems because they are buried under a mountain of negativity. You can’t get rid of these thoughts but affirmations and visual reminders of your goals are the antidote.

1.  Put your goals where they are in plain view for you and make it a habit to look at them often.
2. Take a bank deposit slip and write in the amount you would like to deposit each month.
3. Read success stories of creative professionals you like for clues about how the people who have what you want went about getting it. Don’t compare yourself to them but use their life story as a guide to what you should do or do next.
4. Turn your main goals into an story you read to yourself over and over and that you write out ten times first thing every morning. This can be a sentence or two that states your purpose.
5. Make a mind map of your dreams. In the middle of the page put your main goal, a picture of what you want, or just simply your name. Then branch off into other subgoals.
6. Create a fake financial statement. This is your net worth (now) and this is your net worth when you are ‘high’.  What I mean is, make it up. Go ahead, hallucinate a little.
7. Make a dream storyboard.  This is where you cut out pictures representing what you want and then paste them on a big board.
8. The logical brain helps you prioritize activities and can tell you what would kill a dream. Things like procrastination, self doubt or perfections.  A deadline can cause you to get going. Keep you focused.

With all this talk about the future and financial freedom, I don’t want you to think I have forgotten that happiness is found in the moment – no matter what your financial situation. You can be happy right now. Don’t waste your life waiting for your finances to be perfect. Pay attention to the present. This is where joy, happiness and peace are found.