POLL: What Are Your Beliefs About Money and Success?

For the first week of my “Recession Proof Musician” series this month, we’ve been discussing how you view your musical career in the big picture. Now we’re going to get deeper, to where it all begins.

It’s time to ask yourself the honest question “How do I feel about money?” If you are serious about being successful at your craft (and in life!), but find yourself in a constant state of debt or other types of drama, it’s time to take an honest look at your beliefs about success and wealth. The sooner you evaluate your belief system, the better off your music career will be.

POLL: What money beliefs did you hear growing up?

“Money is the root of all evil”
“Money isn’t that important”
“Money corrupts artistic and creative endeavors”
“It’s not fair for me to be rich while others have nothing”
“It’s more enlightened to be poor than rich”
“Getting rich is a matter of luck”
“Money causes problems”
“Rich people aren’t happy”
“Money doesn’t grow on trees”
“We can’t afford it”, or the classic,

“I’m a starving artist”

Please add to this collection by entering your favorites into the comments below. The first step of change is awareness!

Children often inherit the above phrases from their parents, and later find themselves repeating them without question. These phrases are harmful because your belief in them affects you subconsciously. For example, if you believe that wealthy people are greedy or mean, and you consider yourself a “good” person, you may subconsciously sabotage your success efforts.

Another way to think of your success mindset is to think of a thermostat that’s set for your ability to make and keep money. The majority of millionaire lottery winners find themselves broke and bankrupt, while self-made millionaires can lose money and earn it back quickly (Donald Trump is a perfect example, as he filed for bankruptcy before rebounding as a billionaire).

If you’d like to learn more about your success thermostat (and how to raise it), I highly recommend Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Ecker.

Success is not an accident, and “starving artists” will continue to starve.

Repeat after me: “I love money, and money loves me!”