Hopelessness creeps into our lives in subtle ways. One of the most damaging mentalities to have is a poverty mindset. This kind of thinking is self-sabotaging because it creates a negative association with wealth.

When you hear someone say things like, “I’ll never be able to afford that,” they are experiencing poverty mindset. They believe that their is a finite amount of wealth in the world, and that the more you have, the less that is available to them. That’s the way it always has been, and always will be.

This is how this mentality starts to get toxic. This belief in scarcity causes you to twist your idea of reality to bend to it. People with poverty mindset believe deep down that they are meant to be poor, and that the rich are meant to be rich, and that there is nothing they can do about it.

This causes them to resent those that do raise themselves up. They become jealous of other people’s success.

These people will try to bring you down. The more wealth and momentum you create for yourself, the less they will understand. They will try to bring you to their level.

You can’t let them do this. You have to identify this toxic thinking and bring an end to it. Only then will you be able to find your path to abundance, wealth, and happiness.

How to Become Aware of Poverty Mindset

Start by paying attention to how you’re speaking and thinking about your financial situation. If you find yourself saying any of the following things, then your mindset is focused on scarcity and limitations, rather than abundance.

There is nothing I can do.
It won’t change anything anyway.
I’m not even able to make ends meet.
I’ll never be able to pay off this debt.
I’m always going to struggle.
It’s impossible for me to get out of the hole.

Many of these thoughts relate to wealth, but can pertain to other areas of our life as well. When these kinds of thoughts block us financially, we miss out on opportunities to increase our support and resources.

How to Fight Poverty Mindset

The first step to overcoming poverty mindset is becoming aware of it. Pay attention to how you’re thinking about your finances. If some of the thoughts from above are creeping him, notice them and understand that they do not serve you.

Flip the script.

There is nothing I can do.There must be something I can do.
It won’t change anything anyway. If I take action, I can change my situation.
I’m not even able to make ends meet. I need to evaluate my priorities.
I’ll never be able to pay off this debt. How can I manage this debt better?
I’m always going to struggle. I’m struggling right now, but if I work hard it won’t always be this way.
It’s impossible for me to get out of the hole. I can do this!

Do research.

Everyone has a different hand of cards that they’re working with. Whatever your situation is, get creative in brainstorming solutions to your problems. If a specific option doesn’t seem feasible to you, think about why and what it would take to make that option more readily available to you.

Then take action.

There is always something you can do to improve your situation. You simply need to find it and do it. Don’t let bullshit thoughts and mentalities get in your way. It may not be easy, and in fact most likely won’t. But the only way that your situation is going to change is if you make it change. You can either complain about it or you can do something about it.

You have your whole life ahead of you, however long that is. There is always purpose in addressing your money problems. Doing it now gives you more time resolve them and achieve your financial goals. Don’t allow poverty mindset bring you to a place of hopelessness and despair. Identify when it happens, and stomp it out.

Before I finish this post, I do want to take a moment to acknowledge systemic poverty. In the United States, you can be punished in cruel ways for not being able to pay for the things you need, and this can make it extremely difficult to break the cycle. There are many things I could say about this, but those thoughts do not have a place in today’s post. While I acknowledge that there are external forces keeping poor people in poverty, today I wanted to talk about the internal forces which do the same.