Five Lies We Tell Ourselves To Stay Safe: Lies #2 & #3

Calculator and MoneyThis week are Lies #2 and #3.
You can find the other “lies” in this series here:
Lie #1: I don’t have time
Lie #2: I can’t afford it
Lie #3: It’s not in my budget

Lie #4: I need to think about it
Lie #5: I can do it myself
Conclusion

Let’s review what I mean by “stay safe.”

Staying safe means not taking risks. Not doing things that stretch our comfort zone. It’s not making a phone call to a potential client because it’s uncomfortable. It’s staying home from that networking group because you don’t know anyone. It’s not working with someone that could help you move forward in your business because it’s different than what you’ve done. I’m sure you can add plenty of your own examples.

Lie #2: I can’t afford it

Have you ever been talking with someone and they say that they can’t afford something and then a couple of minutes later they’re talking about the weekend trip they just took, a new TV they just bought or something else?

It’s not that they couldn’t afford it, it’s that they chose NOT to spend their money on it. That’s great! They know what’s important to them. However, it’s an important distinction to make.

Be clear with yourself, can you really not afford it, or are you choosing to not to spend your money on it? This might seem like semantics, however it’s important to recognize how our words affect our relationship with money.

Lie #3: It’s not in my budget right now

Yes, it’s a flavor of lie #2.

Here’s what I know about some of the most successful people I know. They made investments that weren’t in their budget because they knew they couldn’t afford not to.

Now, I’m not advocating going into massive credit card debt, but do you know what that investment made them do? MOVE. It lit a fire under their butt and they stretched their comfort zone a lot farther than they would have been motivated to do without that investment. Oh, and the investment was a huge comfort zone stretch (and leap of faith) that paved the way for the stretches to come.

For both of these “lies,” recognize what’s really going on for you. Are you making purposeful choices or are you using a convenient excuse that sounds reasonable?

Share your thoughts in the comments below.