You Need To Change Your Mindset

2019 should not be about putting yourself first and being selfish for a chance. It should be about giving everything you can possibly give. And to be honest, when were you ever being selfless? There are people going to bed hungry every night, there are people who don't have access to fresh drinking water, there are people who can't afford cancer treatments, there are people who risk their lives everyday to go to school, there are people who are refused a job because they don't have access to a shower, and here you are, on your thousand dollar laptop or iPhone tweeting about how YOU are going to be selfish this year. Well, fuck you.

Life should not be about material things, it should be about experiences and helping others. We are all one, we are all family. No matter what skin tone, sexuality, age, gender, or anything else that you think separates one from the rest of the world, we are one. We have to look out for each other. We have to stop being selfish. And I'm not saying I'm the most selfless person I know, but I am trying. I'm trying to help others. And honestly, it is hard. Its hard giving away $100 to a friend who seriously needed new shoes, and it's hard to give away $100 to a young mother that needs to feed her baby. It is really hard. If I stopped spending money for my own personal gain, maybe it would be easier. Maybe I would have some left over to help others. But I can't live my life based on maybe's. I have to change now. I have to pay others first. I have to be more selfless. I have to change the way I look at money. Money is energy. Money is constantly flowing in and out of our lives. We shouldn't be so attached to money. We shouldn't die with millions or even thousands in our bank accounts.

I challenge you, and myself, to invest $100 in someone every month of 2019. Whether that maybe giving money to a friend to support their growing business, or buying a homeless man some food and clothes, or even just taking your best friend to a much need massage or tattoo parlor(; (Rach, if you're reading this, don't get too excited yet) Just do something for someone else. And don't do it for the attention or recognition. Do it for them and for your internal being.

This may seem like a crazy idea to you because everyone has the mindset of "Every Man For Himself", so I'm going to break it down into steps.

Step 1 - If You Can't Buy It Three Times You Can Afford It

I read this in a Tweet the other day(I wish I could remember who said it) and it really stuck with me. This isn't saying you shouldn't pay rent or your car payment, those things are a bit different. It's for those AirPods or Apple Watch or even a new car or a new place to live. Think of it this way: you're finally moving out of your parents house - for real this time - and your new rent will be $350 a month. So, that means that I need to have $1,050 in my bank account every month to be able to really afford my rent. That is a pretty big chunk of what I have in my account currently. But I can afford it. So, before you buy things, check your bank account and see how much you really can afford.

Step 2 - Money Is Energy

From this point on, I will reference money as energy to get you in the right mind set. Energy is constantly flowing, energy is positive and negative. Everyday you chose to spend your energy on various items such as gas, food, movie tickets, clothes, etc,. And each thing you spend money on has a positive or negative impact on your life. I stopped buying movie tickets because I always fall asleep in movies, therefore that ticket would have a negative impact on my life, but some people go to the movies every week for date night and that would be a positive impact. I chose to spend money on clothes because the clothes I wear makes me happy and confident and those are very important to me therefore, I will receive positive energy. I have a goal to move to Hawaii and be 100% vegan. Well that's not getting anywhere if I keep eating fast food. So spending energy on food, is becoming a negative impact on my life. For the month of February I have challenged myself to spend less than $5 a day on fast food(I know this isn't the best, but 90% of what I eat comes from where I work*cough cough* fast food). I made this challenge in hopes that I will learn how to cook tasty vegan food, save money, and overall be a healthier person.

Step 3 - Let Go Of Social Media

Now I'm not saying I don't absolutely love my Twitter and Instagram and I'm not saying you need to delete yours. I'm saying you need to be real with it. You need to know that what you're seeing is only what the person posting wants you to see. They only want you to see the beautiful beaches of Bali, not the hard road it took to get there(or the horribly polluted beaches). I follow a girl on Instagram whom I went to high school with. I see her beach posts, her vegan lifestyle, and all of her cute clothes. And for awhile I thought her mom was paying for everything, until she posted a story telling everyone that she has been saving for years for these experiences and that she has worked very hard for what she has today. So you have to realize that just because someone else has something you want and they're making it look easy, it's not. In no way, shape or form is traveling easy. So don't take it seriously. Don't worry about what other people are doing, worry about you and your goals.

Step 4 - Ask People If They Need Help, And Help Them

I come from a pretty fortunate area of northern Utah, most people here are very financially stable so I wasn't sure who I could help. I don't walk around my neighborhood and see homeless people and I don't often see people posting about how they wish they could afford food or treatments or anything like that. So I asked. I tweeted out to my three hundred something followers asking if they knew anyone who was in financial need. One person. One person messaged me. From a Tweet that was for sure seen by 76 people and clicked on by 24 people, got one response. I was shocked. I was basically offering money to anyone and no one cared. Anyway, the one person who messaged me was an ex-best friend of mine who also happened to be a young mother. She told me she was struggling buying food for herself and the baby. Now, I don't know who this person has become and I don't know what she's going to do with the money, I just know that she needed help enough to reach out to me. Asking for help is hard, but always worth it. So if you don't know anyone who could use the help, ask. And once you've found someone that you could help, help them. Even if you can't afford $100, maybe just write them a note, or buy them a smoothie, just anything that could help.

Step 5 - Actually Do What You Say You're Going To Do

This is a hard one for me. I say I'm going to move to Hawaii and become vegan, but until I act on that, it's just a dream. I have already taken steps toward my goal and while I still have a long way to go, I'm making progress. So when you say that you want to buy a fancy water machine, or that you want to help people pay for food, or that you want to move somewhere or get a new job, do it. This is a sign that you need to take action on the things you say you'll do. Speak it into existence and just do it. Right now, take a break from reading this and do something that will work you towards your goal.

Step 6 - Sit Back, Breathe, And Watch The Magic Happen

I promise you that if you follow these steps, you will have more positive energy flowing through your life. You will have the happiness needed to pull away from the negative attachment most people have to money. You will grow as a person and you will be genuinely happy. We need a little more happy in the world these days.

So change your mindset. Lose negative attachments and gain positive engagements with the Earth, yourself, and others. Remember the energy and be selfless.

enjoy the little things in life;