According to the source of the truth — Google — the average adult makes 35,000 choices or decisions a day.

I don’t know what you think, but that is a lot of potential for angst and wrong turns. The pressure is building just thinking about it.

It’s no wonder people are constantly stressed.

But, and here is the good news, it is also 35,000 opportunities to achieve positive results. To determine the outcomes you want.

Now that is a far more exciting way to look at it, am I right?

I have been studying, researching and implementing money strategies for more than 20 years, and the thing that stands out more often than anything else, is the fact that success with money is actually a choice.

YOU HAVE THE POWER TO BE WEALTHY

So why is it that more people are not successful with money?

The thing is, money has a flow, just like most things in life. Have you ever noticed moments in your life when things came easy to you, everything seemed to just happen as you wanted it to? In sport they describe it as being in the “zone”.

Well, money is no different. Money flows to those who are making the right choices and are open to the possibility of having more of it. If you create resistance in your choices or decisions, it is hard for money to flow to you.

When I first started trying to grow my wealth, to have more money, it was a constant struggle for me. No matter how much study I did, or how good the strategies where, it seemed I just couldn’t make them work.

And that is the point. I was trying to make them work, trying too hard. By trying too hard, I was actually creating a resistance to success. My own choices were counter intuitive to the outcomes I was seeking.

For example, if you want to free yourself of credit card debt, one of the more simple choices you can make, that supports your goal, is to stop using your credit card. Leave it at home, and only use money that you have, rather than continuing to use other people’s money.

If you continue to use your credit card while trying to eliminate the debt, you are creating a conflict in your money choices.

Another could be that you want to build a portfolio of stocks that grow in value over time. The choice you need to make to achieve this outcome is to establish a method or strategy for selecting investment grade stocks, instead of relying on the hot tip you heard in the media or online. Let me tell you, these hot tips rarely turn out to be that hot.

What you might have noticed, is that these choices are relatively straight forward, and the most powerful part is that YOU are in total control of the choices.

So if you are in total control of the choices you make, then that also means that you are in control of your results.

LET THAT SINK IN FOR A MOMENT

I know when I first discovered this fact it was a light bulb moment.

Now I know you might be thinking that you can’t control what happens in the stock market, or property market. And that is fair enough, but what I am suggesting is that by making choices that are in alignment with your money goals, you will be increasing your chance of success.

Here is a four step process you can use to guide your choices and decision making to support the money outcomes you desire:

1. Step one is to be aware of your choices, especially those related to money. If you are making negative choices about your money circumstances, such as spending more than you earn, chasing quick wins or get rich quick schemes, then this first step of awareness is crucial.

2. The second step is understanding which is about identifying where your decision making originates. It allows you to recognise that these choices have likely come from outside of you, from external influences, such as your parents and how they managed money. Spend some time to understand the impact your choices have had on your money circumstances in the past before moving to the next step.

3. Step 3 is disassociation. Once you recognise that your previous way of choosing is not serving you, you can separate yourself from these choices and decide to let them go.

You can observe that this way of choosing is just a file of information that has been stored in your mind for a long time now, and no longer holds any truth or value for you and your financial circumstances.

You now realise that you have a choice to be different, to choose different actions with money that empower your success. That’s uplifting isn’t it?

4. Step 4 is reconditioning which is about training your mind to respond in a supportive manner when it comes to money and success. Although I am proposing you complete this process for your money circumstances, you can do this for any aspect of your life.

Reconditioning involves fuelling your mind with positive thoughts that will support your choices.

Some people use affirmations to achieve this process, which I have used at times, and still come back to when I need reminding.

Some affirmations that you can use include:

“I create my financial success”

“I commit to being wealthy”

Once you accept and understand that you control your outcomes with your choices, the next thing to know is that you don’t need a fancy financial degree or a large sum of money to have success.

The key is to start, even if it means starting small. With a little bit of research and study, you can start building a secure financial future for you and your family starting with as little as $40 per week.

Money will flow more easily to you when you get this alignment in sync, which is just a matter of the choices you make.

So now that you know your choices determine your success, decide that with the 35,000 opportunities that you have today, that when they involve your money, your choices will be aligned with your money goals.

Andrew Woodward is a mindshift.money accredited money coach based in Sydney who teaches people to take control of their money and invest for their future, simply and efficiently. Sign up for his free weekly money tips at theinvestorsway.com.au.