3 Steps to Financial Healing

Think about how empowering that is. When you build wealth from the inside out, you are building your financial future from a place of strength. It means you are making sure that your values, needs, goals, and desires are the driving force behind the choices you make with your money.  

But how do you make that happen? Below, are three tips to start healing financially. But you have to take into account not only your financial life and how you manage your money, but also your work life, your family life, and your personal life. 

Let’s look at, say, your personal life and your physical being. 

It’s essential to find balance in our personal life, and that includes taking care of our bodies and minds. And I find a surefire way to both calm my mind and keep my body strong is to get out in nature. Few things are more healing for me than taking long walks along Lake Michigan near where I live.

I’m also fascinated by a rising movement called Forest Bathing. It’s been practiced for years in Japan and is now embraced in England. Even the Duchess of Cambridge has based her garden on it. (Cheerio, y’all!) Forest bathing encourages participants to slow down and feel present. It’s about allowing nature’s calming scents and sights to dissolve issues and inspire peace and calm.

Take the time to get back in tune with yourself in nature. Find a large park or head to a forest preserve. Get into that harmonic lifestyle so that you can live more in the present moment and release more of your past to create the future you really truly desire.

Let’s focus on the three steps to financial healing.

 Step 1: Detach

Distractions are around us daily. Cell phones buzz with messages and calls all day. Emails are a never-ending task. And, at the end of the day when all we want to do is rest, the television winds us down until bedtime.

You’ll never be able to financially heal if you don’t eliminate the commotions taking up your attention. So, this week, take a few nights to totally detach. Unplug from the outside world and focus on your authentic self: core values, beliefs, unique abilities and sense of purpose.

This is where a walk in nature could set you right. If you live in the city, find a nearby forest preserve and take a stroll. Breathe the clean air, feel the sun on you face, notice the quiet, and marvel at the natural world around you.  

Step 2: Define

Congratulations! You’ve disconnected the internet, turned off the smart phone and found a quiet place to explore. Let your mind wander to places you’d usually deem off limits. No boundaries here; the idea is to unearth everything that’s hidden.

It’s easy to pass off a particular idea as crazy or impossible, but let those negative feelings float out of your consciousness. Don’t judge what you come up with; embrace it. Define your own personal dreams and desires to determine what you’re passionate about; this is necessary to get what you really want out of life.

Step 3: Devise

Now it’s time to get a plan together. You’ve figured out your big dream. How are you going to make it happen? What will you do today? Tomorrow? Next week? Next year? Design your ideal life. What does a typical day look like when you’re living your dream?

What you just devised is a Personal Navigation Route. This is the life plan that will get you from where you are right now to where you want to be. Once you’ve defined this path, write it down and post it everywhere. Remind yourself that each day is another opportunity to live your dreams. Don’t waste one moment living anything other than your ideal life.