5 Mindsets That Keep You Trapped in the “Always Broke” Cycle

Have you ever found yourself constantly struggling to make ends meet, no matter how hard you work? Does it feel like money slips through your fingers just as fast as it comes in? You’re not alone. Millions of people live paycheck to paycheck, caught in an invisible loop of financial scarcity.

But here’s the truth: your mindset plays a critical role in your financial reality. You could be smart, hardworking, and ambitious — yet if your beliefs about money are flawed, you’ll unconsciously sabotage your financial progress.

In this blog post, we’ll uncover five toxic money mindsets that quietly keep you broke, and most importantly, how to break free from them.

1. “Money Is the Root of All Evil”

This phrase, often misquoted from religious texts, is one of the most damaging beliefs about money. When you subconsciously view money as something bad or evil, your brain will resist efforts to accumulate it.

💡 Why It’s Harmful:

You may unknowingly push money away, feel guilty for wanting to earn more, or sabotage financial opportunities because they feel “wrong” or “greedy.”

✅ Healthy Alternative:

Money is a tool. It’s neutral — what you do with it determines its impact. Wealth in the hands of good people can create immense positive change.

Action Step: Reflect on your earliest experiences with money. Did someone teach you that rich people are greedy? Rewrite that narrative today.

2. “I Just Need to Work Harder”

Hard work is important — but it’s not the full story. Many people exhaust themselves working two or three jobs and still remain broke. The truth is, if your strategy is broken, more effort won’t help.

💡 Why It’s Harmful:

This belief traps you in the cycle of trading time for money. It leaves no room for learning about investing, automation, or building assets.

✅ Healthy Alternative:

Work smarter, not just harder. Learn to leverage skills, systems, and networks to create multiple income streams.

3. “I’m Just Not Good With Money”

This self-limiting belief acts as a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you think you’re bad with money, you’ll avoid learning about it. You’ll miss out on building essential financial skills like budgeting, investing, or managing debt.

💡 Why It’s Harmful:

It shuts down your growth. Financial intelligence isn’t something you’re born with — it’s something you build.

✅ Healthy Alternative:

I can learn how to manage money. Every skill is learnable, including money management.

Action Step: Read one book or blog per month about personal finance. Start with small wins, like tracking your expenses for a week.

4. “I’ll Be Happy When I Have More Money”

This mindset makes your happiness conditional. You tie your emotional well-being to a future financial status — and that future keeps moving further away.

💡 Why It’s Harmful:

You become stuck in a scarcity loop, never feeling like you have enough. This constant dissatisfaction can lead to stress, burnout, and poor financial decisions.

✅ Healthy Alternative:

Gratitude fuels abundance. You can strive for more while still appreciating what you have now.

Action Step: Every day, write down three things you’re grateful for — including financial wins, no matter how small.

5. “I Wasn’t Born Into Wealth, So I’ll Never Be Rich”

This belief gives away all your power. Yes, some people have financial advantages from birth — but many self-made millionaires started with nothing. Your background doesn’t dictate your future.

💡 Why It’s Harmful:

You’ll stop trying. You’ll convince yourself that success is reserved for the lucky few — and never take the first step.

✅ Healthy Alternative:

Wealth is built, not inherited. Your mindset, habits, and actions shape your financial destiny more than your starting point.

Rewiring Your Money Mindset

Your bank account is a reflection of your beliefs, not just your income. If you want to break free from the cycle of being broke, you must start by changing how you think about money.

Here’s a quick recap of the five mindset shifts:

  1. Money isn’t evil — it’s a tool for impact.
  2. Hard work is good, but strategy matters more.
  3. You can become good with money by learning.
  4. Don’t wait to be rich to be happy — find joy now.
  5. Your past doesn’t limit your financial future.

Change your mindset, and you’ll change your money.

Discover how this 7-minute “song” can make money start appearing everywhere in your life.

What Do You Think When You Think About Money? Your Answer Might Determine Your Financial Future

When you hear the word money, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind?
Is it freedom?
Or stress?
Do you feel excitement?
Or maybe even shame?

You might not realize it, but your immediate thoughts about money reveal your money mindset — the deeply ingrained beliefs and emotions that drive your financial decisions every day. And more often than not, these subconscious beliefs could be the very reason you’re stuck financially… or on your way to financial freedom.

In this blog post, we’ll explore how your thoughts about money shape your reality, why shifting your money mindset is the secret to wealth, and how you can start rewiring your thinking for long-term financial success.

Why Your Thoughts About Money Matter More Than You Think

Your relationship with money is not just about numbers — it’s about meaning.
We all grew up hearing messages like:

  • “Money doesn’t grow on trees.”
  • “Rich people are greedy.”
  • “We can’t afford that.”
  • “If you want more money, you have to work yourself to death.”

These phrases, often passed down by well-meaning parents or society, silently shape how we approach money — how we earn it, spend it, save it, or avoid it.

If you believe deep down that wanting more money is selfish or that you’ll never be good with money, your brain will subconsciously work to prove that belief right.

It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

💡 Your money mindset is either your greatest asset or your biggest liability.

Common Money Mindsets — Which One Sounds Like You?

  1. Scarcity Mindset
    You constantly fear that there’s never enough — enough money, time, or resources. You save obsessively or avoid looking at your bank account altogether.
  2. Survival Mindset
    You live paycheck to paycheck, focused only on making it to the end of the month. Planning or investing seems out of reach.
  3. Guilt-Based Mindset
    You feel bad when you earn or keep money. You might overspend on others to feel worthy or reject wealth to “stay humble.”
  4. Entitlement Mindset
    You believe others owe you financially — whether it’s family, the government, or the universe. You wait for help instead of creating your own wealth.
  5. Abundance Mindset
    You believe money is a tool — a renewable resource. You see opportunities instead of limitations. You take inspired action to grow and manage wealth.

Which mindset do you tend to operate from?

Your Subconscious Beliefs Drive Your Financial Behavior

Most people try to improve their financial life by changing surface-level behavior: budgeting, cutting expenses, or downloading a new app.

While those steps help, they rarely create lasting change without a shift in belief.

Here’s why:

  • If you believe “I’m just not good with money,” you’ll sabotage your efforts, even with a perfect spreadsheet.
  • If you believe “I don’t deserve wealth,” you’ll find ways to get rid of money as soon as you get it.
  • If you believe “Money is evil,” your brain will protect you from having more of it.

That’s why mindset work isn’t just fluff — it’s foundational.

How to Transform Your Money Mindset (Step by Step)

1. Become Aware of Your Money Story

Write down your earliest memories of money.
Ask yourself:

  • What did I learn about money growing up?
  • What emotions do I associate with money?
  • What beliefs did I absorb from family, culture, or religion?

Awareness is the first step to change.

2. Identify and Challenge Limiting Beliefs

Once you see the old stories, start questioning them:

  • Is this belief really true?
  • Who benefits when I believe this?
  • What could be equally or more true?

Replace “Money is the root of all evil” with “Money is a tool I can use for good.”

Most people are unaware that the beliefs they carry about money aren’t even theirs — they’re inherited.
Here are 5 common money lies you might have believed — and how they limit your financial growth.

3. Adopt Empowering Beliefs

Choose new affirmations or beliefs that reflect your desired relationship with money:

  • “I am worthy of abundance.”
  • “Money supports my freedom and impact.”
  • “The more I grow, the more I can give.”

Repeat them daily, write them down, and act as if they’re already true.

4. Take Financial Action in Alignment

Don’t just think differently — act differently.

  • Open a savings or investment account.
  • Learn a new skill to increase income.
  • Set financial goals that excite you.

Action builds confidence, and confidence attracts opportunity.

5. Surround Yourself with Empowering Messages

Books, podcasts, communities — feed your mind with abundant energy.
Some great resources:

  • You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero
  • Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
  • The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

Replace limiting beliefs with empowering ones. For example, instead of thinking “money is hard to earn,” tell yourself “money flows easily when I add value.”
Read how a simple mindset shift helped me double my income in just 6 months.

Your Financial Future Starts With a Thought

If you want to change your financial life, start by asking this simple question:

“What do I truly think and believe about money?”

You may be surprised by the answers.
But here’s the good news: Beliefs are not permanent. You can rewrite your story.
And when you do, you don’t just change your income — you change your life.

Make $3k/week making up words. Seriously, by inventing words! Watch this quick video and see how it works. Take 5 minutes and check it out.